/ 


-  IS  PsfdKkA.*; (*.  *•  A  „  _ 

*•  ^  pUC  t  L  i  t  J  /  (  c 


PSIHCETOIT 

-hsO,  jsjf\!  1SS4 


theolo-gigal  M 


*  »•••«■»  tf  a  »  *  * 


Section, H.|.l5 
w0 

■  ^  ^  J  t>«i«o  •  «*►«»  c*jp -?  a*  •  •  »• 


/ 


/ 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/illustrationsofsOOhack 


JERUSALEM  AS  SEEN  PROM  OLIVET 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


OF 


SCRIPTURE; 


SUGGESTED  BY 


®<m  t|rang|  %  Join 

■ 


BY 

HORATIO  B.  HACKETT, 

PROFESSOR  IN  NEWTON  THEOLOGICAL  INSTITUTION. 


♦ 


BOSTON: 

heath:  and  graves, 

No.  7  9  CORNHILL. 

1  8  56. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1855,  by 
ITEATH  &  GRAVES, 

In  the  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


Stereotyped  by 
II 0  li  A  K  T  Si  R  0  D  B I N  S , 

NSW  ENGLAND  TYPE  AND  8TEKK0TYPE  FOUNDRY, 


PREFACE. 


The  writer  has  been  induced  to  prepare  this  volume  in 
the  hope  that  it  may  be  useful  to  general  readers  of  the 
Bible.  The  journey  in  Egypt  and  Palestine,  out  of  which 
it  has  grown,  was  performed  in  the  spring  and  summer  of 
1852,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  contents  were  written  out 
for  the  press  more  than  a  year  ago,  but  unavoidable  circum¬ 
stances  have  delayed  the  publication  until  the  present  time. 
The  work  does  not  claim  to  be  a  book  of  travels,  and  would 
be  misjudged  if  viewed  in  that  light.  The  object  has  been, 
not  to  present  a  connected  view  of  the  geography  of  Pal¬ 
estine,  or  to  detail  at  any  length  the  personal  incidents 
which  travelers  usually  make  so  prominent  in  their  jour¬ 
nals  ;  but,  out  of  the  mass  of  observations  and  facts  which 
fell  under  my  notice,  to  select  those  which  seemed  to  be 
capable  of  being  used  with  some  advantage  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  promoting  a  more  earnest  and  intelligent  study 
of  the  Sacred  Volume.  The  object,  in  other  words,  has 
been  to  make  this  account  of  the  journey  to  the  reader 


IV 


PREFACE. 


as  nearly  as  possible  what  the  journey  itself  was  to  the 
writer  in  the  prosecution  of  it, —  a  means  of  illustrating 
the  Scriptures,  throwing  light  upon  obscure  passages, 
bringing  vividly  before  the  mind  the  scenes  of  sacred  his¬ 
tory,  tracing  out  the  proofs  of  the  accuracy  of  the  Bible 
in  its  allusions,  customs,  narratives,  geographical  notices, 
and,  in  general,  putting  us  more  exactly  in  the  situation 
of  the  inspired  writers,  and  thus  enabling  us  the  better 
to  understand  and  appreciate  their  spirit  and  meaning. 

The  contents  of  the  two  last  chapters  are  mainly  topo¬ 
graphical  in  their  character,  and,  while  they  secure  the 
incidental  advantage  of  giving  greater  variety  to  the 
topics,  harmonize  entirely  with  the  general  purpose  of 
the  work.  The  places  described  in  those  portions  of  the 
book  are  connected  with  some  of  the  most  important 
events  of  Scripture,  and  the  familiarity  which  the  reader 
acquires  with  their  situation  and  appearance  must  give 
to  the  narrative  of  such  events  a  more  impressive  and  life¬ 
like  character.  It  will  not  be  deemed  a  useless  service 
that  I  have  enumerated  in  the  same  connection,  though 
with  so  much  brevity,  the  objects  of  Scripture  interest, 
which  have  been  identified  at  Jerusalem  and  in  the  vicin¬ 
ity.  Every  one  must  wish  to  know  the  results  of  the  in¬ 
vestigations  in  regard  to  this  class  of  objects ;  and  it  may 
be  found  convenient  to  have  them  stated  within  the  com¬ 
pass  of  a  few  pages,  instead  of  being  obliged  to  search  for 


PREFACE. 


Y 


them  through  large  volumes,  where  they  are  perplexed 

with  questions  and  details  which  can  interest  only  the 
antiquary. 

It  has  been  necessary,  in  order  to  keep  before  the 
mind  the  connections  between  Palestine  and  the  Bible, 
to  quote  numerous  passages  of  Scripture ;  the  frequency 
of  these  citations  forms  one  peculiar  feature  of  the  work. 
It  has  been  my  rule  to  compare  the  passages  with  the 
Hebrew  and  Greek,  and,  without  seeking  occasion  to 
depart  from  the  common  version,  I  have  not  hesitated  to 
change  the  language  in  some  instances  where  the  mean¬ 
ing  of  the  original  or  perspicuity  seemed  to  require  it. 
Though  intending  for  the  most  part  to  confine  myself  to 
points  of  which  I  could  speak  as  an  eye-witness,  I  have 
gone  occasionally  beyond  that  sphere,  and  have  referred 
to  the  testimony  of  other  travelers,  when  this  was  desir¬ 
able,  in  order  to  confirm  my  own  statements,  or  to  render 
the  information  on  a  particular  topic  more  complete. 

The  ensravinn-s,  which  have  been  inserted  at  the  su <*- 
gestion  of  the  publisher,  cannot  be  otherwise  than  accept¬ 
able  to  the  reader.  They  are  not  original,  but  have  been 
copied  from  works  of  an  approved  character.  None  have 
been  selected  except  of  objects  or  places  which  the  writer 
has  seen,  so  as  to  .enable  him  to  judge  of  the  accuracy  of 
the  representation. 

Newton  Centre,  August  23,  1855. 

1# 


’  >  * 


. 


i 


TABLE  OE  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

EASTERN  TRAVELING. 

The  child  J esus  left  at  J erusalem  —  The  deceitful  brook  —  Sliding  of  the 
feet  —  Pilgrim  psalms  —  Modern  pilgrimages  —  Pastures  of  the  desert  — 
Land  of  Goshen  —  Animals  used  in  the  desert  —  An  eastern  sky  at  night 

—  Use  of  tents  —  Pitching  of  the  tent  —  Frequent  removals  —  Remarks 
of  McCheyne  —  The  tents  of  Kedar  —  Sand  hills  —  Terrors  of  the  wilder¬ 
ness —  Skin  bottles  — Artifice  of  the  Gibeonites  —  Valley  of  death-shade 

—  Salt  desert  —  Shadow  of  a  rock, . 12 — 51 


CHAPTER*  II. 

\ 

MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

Snow  for  cooling  drinks  —  Whited  sepulchres  —  Carrying  children  —  Di¬ 
van  —  Place  of  honor  —  Streets,  or  bazaars  —  Eastern  merchants  — 
Rights  of  hospitality  —  Taking  off  the  shoes  —  Houses  on  the  walls  — 
Use  of  baskets  —  City  on  a  hill  —  Flat  roofs  —  Hiding  the  spies  —  Pray¬ 
ing  on  the  house-top — Dwelling  on  the  house-top  —  Place  of  observa¬ 
tion —  Use  of  bells  —  Grinding  at  the  mill  —  Song  of  the  grinders  — 
Statute  of  Moses  —  Drowning  in  the  sea  —  Behind  the  mill  —  Samson’s 
punishment  —  Shutting  the  gates  —  Use  of  personal  names  —  A  contin¬ 
ual  dropping  —  Sale  of  sparrows  —  Wells  —  Mode  of  drawing  water  — 
Watering  of  flocks  —  Fountain  at  Nazareth  —  Well  in  a  court  —  Dig¬ 
ging  through  houses  —  Ordinary  dress  and  food  —  Purse  and  scrip  — 
Burial-places  —  Tomb  at  Nazareth  —  An  asylum  —  Rachel’s  tomb  — 
Stone  heaps  —  An  eastern  bed  —  Cursing  one’s  ancestors  —  Use  of  orna- 


Vlll 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


ments  —  Adventure  at  El-Bireh  —  Posture  in  prayer  —  Funeral  rites 
—  An  open  bier  —  The  house  of  Jairus  —  Early  hours  —  The  word 
“brother”  —  The  Nile  a  sea  —  Name  of  Egypt  —  Sports  of  chil¬ 
dren,  .  52 — 121 


CHAPTER  III. 

CLIMATE,  SOIL  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 

Mustard-seed  plant  —  Grass  on  the  house-tops  —  Thorns  —  Chastising  the 
men  of  Suceoth  —  Husks  eaten  by  the  prodigal  —  Tares  —  Grass  of  the 
oven  —  Anecdote  of  Mungo  Park  —  Sign  of  summer  —  Peculiarity  of 
the  fig-tree  —  A  blasting  wind  —  Alternations  of  heat  and  cold  —  A  fire 
by  night  —  Night  of  the  betrayal  —  Gibbon’s  objection  —  Sources  of  the 
•error  —  Scripture  misunderstood  —  One-sided  representation  —  Signs  of 
fertility  —  Cultivation  neglected  —  Testinfony  of  travelers  —  Valley  of 
Urtas  —  Memory  of  Professor  Edwards, . 122 — 150 

CHAPTER  IV. 

AGRICULTURE,  ITS  OPERATIONS  AND  IMPLEMENTS. 

Turning  the  rivers  of  water  —  Watering  with  the  foot  —  The  eastern 
plough  —  Ox-goad  —  A  proverb  of  the  Hebrews —Treading  of  grapes 

—  Threshing-floors  —  Threshing-machine  — Winnowing-shovel  —  Lodges 

in  the  fields  —  Watch-towers  —  Parable  of  the  vineyard  —  Hedges  — 
Ancient  land-mark — Seed  by  the  road-side  —  Complaint  of  the  Phari¬ 
sees  —  Shunning  the  public  ways  —  Narrow  paths, . 151 — 170 

CHAPTER  V. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  ACCURACY  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Value  of  such  accuracy  —  Notice  of  Bethel  —  Parting  of  Abraham  and  Lot 

—  Battle-field  of  Saul  and  the  Philistines  —  Situation  of  Samaria  —  Dis¬ 
covery  at  Nineveh —  Prophecy  fulfilled  —  Country  of  the  Gadarenes  — 
Advance  of  the  Assyrians  —  Scenery  of  Shechem  —  The  tomb  of  J oseph 

—  Gerizim  and  Ebal  —  Jacob’s  well  —  Objection  noticed  —  The  lost 
Bible  —  The  descent  to  Jericho  —  Scene  of  the  parable  —  Healing  of 
the  nobleman’s  son  —  Gibeah  of  Saul  —  Transmission  of  Scripture  names 

—  Identification  of  Ilelbon  — Testimony  of  Bitter, . 171 — 217 


IX 


* 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

JEWISH  OPINIONS  AND  USAGES. 

The  J ews  at  J erusalem  —  Synagogues  —  Jewish  worship  —  Reading  aloud 
—  Copying  the  Scriptures  —  Town  of  Safet  —  A  distinguished  Rabbi  — 
Views  of  the  Messiah  —  The  lost  tribes  —  A  Jewish  festival  —  Tombs 
at  Meiron  —  Diversions  —  Local  traditions  —  The  celebration  —  Ruins 
of  a  synagogue  —  Hills  of  Galilee  —  Galilean  Tempe  —  Plain  of 
Akka, . 218—241 


CHAPTER  VII. 

JERUSALEM  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 

The  first  view  —  What  is  proposed  —  Site  of  Jerusalem  —  The  changes  of 
time  —  View  from  St.  Stephen’s  gate  —  Brook  Kedron  —  Gethsemane 
Tombs  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  —  Fountain  of  the  Virgin  —  Pool 
ofSiloam  —  Former  reservoirs  —  Well  of  En-Rogel  - — Valley  of  Hin- 
nom  —  Death  of  Judas  —  The  west  side  —  Upper  Gihon — The  north 
side  —  Circuit  finished  —  View  from  Olivet  —  Neby  Samuil,  or  Mizpah 

—  Mosque  of  Omar  —  The  modern  Jerusalem  —  Site  of  the  temple  — 

Castle  of  Antonia  —  Pool  of  Bethesda  —  Pool  of  Ilezckiah  —  Pilate’s 
Praetorium  —  Tomb  of  David  —  Grave  of  Professor  Fiske  —  Bridge  over 
the  Tyropoeon  —  The  Iloly  Sepulchre, .  242 — 29 J 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

SKETCHES  OF  PARTICULAR  PLACES. 

Bethlehem  —  Nazareth  —  The  latter  rain  —  Excursion  tof  Mount  Tabor  — 
Hermits  on  Tabor  —  The  transfiguration  —  Prospect  from  Tabor  — 
View  of  Ilermon  —  The  first  miracle  of  Christ  —  Mount  of  the  Beati¬ 
tudes  —  Descent  to  Tiberias  —  The  hot  baths  —  A  night  scene  — 
Scenery  of  the  lake  —  Storms  on  the  lake  —  The  plain  of  Genncsaret 

—  The  river  Kishon  —  Ascent  of  Mount  Carmel  —  The  Carmelites  — 
View  from  Mount  Carmel  —  Fertility  of  Carmel  —  The  ride  to  Akka 

—  A  public  parade  —  Conclusion, .  294 — 3 JO 


LIST  OF  ENGRAVINGS 


Jerusalem,  from  Olivet  (Seep.  272), . Frontispiece. 

Arabs  Traveling, . 51 

Grinding  at  the  Mill, . %  79 

« 

Rachael’s  Sepulchre,  . 102 

Husk  in  the  Parable, . 129 

Ruins  of  Samaria, . 186 

Joseph’s  Tomb, . 196 

Road  to  Jericho, . 207 

Plan  of  Jerusalem, . .  .  .  .  .  247 

Tombs  in  the  Valley  of  Jehosiiaphat, . 259 

Bethlehem, . 295 

Nazareth, . 801 


ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

TRAVELING  IN  THE  EAST,  AND  CIRCUMSTANCES  THAT 

ATTEND  IT. 

The  title  of  this  chapter  (the  remark  applies  also  to  the 
other  chapters)  indicates  a  general  connection  between  the 
different  topics ;  but  beyond  that  connection,  as  the  contents 
of  the  book  are  so  miscellaneous  in  their  character,  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  pursue  any  particular  method. 
The  order  of  time,  in  recording  the  various  incidents,  might 
have  been  followed,  but  an  arrangement  of  the  illustrations 
on  that  principle  would  be  less  suited  to  the  design  of  the 
work  than  the  other  plan,  imperfect  as  that  confessedly  is. 
As  the  separate  items  are,  in  general,  so  little  dependent  on 
each  other,  I  have  thought  it  best  to  prefix  to  them  a  distinct 
motto,  and  thus  notify  the  reader  of  the  transition  from  one 
to  another. 

TIIE  CHILD  JESUS  LEFT  AT  JERUSALEM. 

The  usual  rate  of  traveling  in  the  East  is  three  miles  an 
hour;  and  as  the  number  of  hours  devoted  to  traveling 


12 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


rarely  exceeds  six  or  eight  hours,  the  distance  of  an  ordinary 
day’s  journey  may  be  considered  as  twenty  or  twenty-five 
miles.  The  first  day,  however,  on  starting  on  an  expedition, 
forms  an  exception  to  this  rule :  on  that  day  it  is  not  cus¬ 
tomary  to  go  more  than  six  or  eight  miles,  and  the  tents  are 
pitched  for  the  first  night’s  encampment  almost  within  sight 
of  the  place  from  which  the  journey  commences.  The  sun 
was  hanging  low  as  I  left  Cairo,  on  the  fifteenth  of  March, 
to  proceed  across  the  desert  to  Syria ;  and  after  a  march 
of  two  hours  and  a  half  we  halted  near  the  obelisk  which 
marks  the  site  of  Heliopolis,  the  On  of  Scripture,  (Gene¬ 
sis  41,  45).  The  only  reason  that  I  heard  assigned  for 
starting  thus  late  and  stopping  so  early  was,  that  it  fur¬ 
nished  an  opportunity,  if  anything  should  prove  to  be  for¬ 
gotten,  to  return  to  the  city  and  supply  the  deficiency. 

I  find,  from  books  of  travels,  that  we  merely  did  in-  this 
respect  what  is  customary  for  travelers  in  setting  forth  on 
a  journey  ;  and,  further,  that  they  give  the  same  explanation 
of  this  peculiarity  of  the  first  day.  Thus  Maundrell  says : 
“  We  set  out  from  Aleppo  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  intend¬ 
ing  to  make  only  a  short  step  that  evening,  in  order  to  prove 
how  well  we  were  provided  with  necessaries  for  our  journey. 
Our  quarters  this  first  night  we  took  up  at  a  place  about  one 
hour  and  a  half  west  of  Aleppo.”*  Richardson,  the  physi¬ 
cian  of  Lord  Bclmore’s  party,  says  that  he  and  his  friends 
proceeded  “to  Koub  el  Gourli,  about  three  miles  from  Cairo, 
where  they  found  their  tents  spread,  and-  where  they  stopped 

*  A  Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerusalem  (1697),  p.  1. 


SHORT  JOURNEYS. 


13 


for  the  night.”*  “We  halted  early,”  says  Mr.  Beldam, 
“  according  to  custom,  the  distance  being  but  thirteen  miles 
from  Cairo,  in  order  to  muster  our  forces,  and  ascertain  that 
all  things  were  provided  for  a  longer  flight.”  t  “At  about 
two  miles  from  Cairo,”  says  the  authoress  of  “  Eastern 
Life,”  |  “  were  the  green  and  blue  and  white  tents  of  the 
British  travelers.  I  supposed  that  they  had  been  delayed, 
and  that  we  should  pass  them  ;  but  no,  —  our  camels  were 
made  to  lie  down,  and  we  were  made  to  dismount,  on  reach¬ 
ing  the  camp.  This  was  Bisateer;  and  the  escort  never 
will  go  further  the  first  day,  that  there  may  be  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  supplying  any  needful  article  they  may  have  for¬ 
gotten.”  On  the  eighteenth  of  May  the  writer  left  Damascus 
at  eiarht  o’clock  a.  m.,  and  a  little  after  ten  crossed  the 
bridge  over  the  Barrada,  probably  the  Abana  of  Scripture 
(2  Kings  5,  12),  not  far  from  the  village  of  Dumar.  Burck- 
hardt  mentions  that  as  thfc  place  where  his  caravan  stopped 
for  the  night,  having  started  from  Damascus  only  three 
hours  before  sunset ;  §  the  distance  would  be  about  seven 
miles.  The  author  of  “  ITelon’s  Pilgrimage,”  II  that  beautiful 
picture  of  the  religious  and  social  life  of  the  Hebrews  in  the 
century  before  the  birth  of  Christ,  has  shown  his  wonted 
accuracy  by  alluding  to  the  same  circumstance.  “  The  first 

*  Travels  along  the  Mediterranean,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  174. 
f  Recollections  of  Scenes,  &c.,  in  the  East  (1851),  Vol.  i.,p.  281. 
t  Eastern  Life,  Vol.  n.,  p.  194. 

§  Reisen  in  Syrien,  Vol.  i.,  p.  113. 

II  Helon’s  Wallfahrt  nach  Jerusalem,  Vol.  i.,  p.  63. 

2 


14 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


day’s  journey  of  the  pilgrims,”  he  says,  “  as  is  usual  with 
caravans,  was  very  short.  They  traveled  scarcely  an  hour 
and  a  half,  as  far  as  Gerrha,  where  they  encamped  near  a 
fountain.”  But  this  practice  of  restricting  the  first  day’s 
journey,  in  whatever  way  it  may  have  arisen,  has  existed 
apparently  from  the  earliest  times  ;  for  wc  find  the  stations 
marked  in  the  itineraries  of  the  oldest  travelers  in  the  East, 
agreeing  very  remarkably  with  those  mentioned  by  later 
travelers.  The  permanency,  therefore,  so  characteristic  of 
Asiatic  life  in  general,  may  be  supposed  to  have  maintained 
itself  in  this  respect  as  it  has  done  in  other  things. 

Perhaps  we  may  avail  ourselves  of  the  fact  here  brought 
to  view,  in  order  to  account  for  an  incident  in  the  history  of 
the  Saviour,  which  has  appeared  to  some  surprising.  I  refer 
to  the  account  of  his  first  visit  to  Jerusalem,  at  the  age  of 
twelve  years.  The  parents  of  Jesus  are  said  to  have  trav¬ 
eled  a  day’s  journey  on  their  return,  without  knowing  what 
had  become  of  their  son  ;  they  were  ignorant  whether  he 
was  in  the  company  or  not,  and,  as  if  indifferent  respecting 
his  safety,  make  no  inquiry  in  regard  to  him  till  the  close  of 
the  day.  Certain  critics  (it  is  one  of  Strauss’  objections) 
have  represented  this  as  so  improbable  and  unnatural  as  to 
throw  discredit  upon  the  truth  of  the  entire  narrative.  But 
if  this  first  day’s  journey  occupied  two  or  three  hours  only, 
the  difficulty  disappears.  They  had  reason  to  suppose  that 
he  was  with  some  of  their  relatives  or  friends  who  were  trav¬ 
eling  with  them  ;  they  could  act,  naturally  enough,  under 
that  impression  for  so  short  a  time,  and  would  have  no  occa- 


ROUTE  OF  GALILEAN  CARAVANS. 


15 


sion  for  anxiety  until  his  continued  absence,  when  they  came 
to  halt  for  the  night,  aroused  their  fears.  We  are  informed 
that  when  this  was  the  case  they  adopted  prompt  measures 
to  find  the  missing  one ;  they  showed  that  their  having  omit¬ 
ted  to  keep  him  constantly  at  their  side  was  owing  to  any¬ 
thing  but  a  want  of  that  parental  care  and  love,  in  which 
the  transaction  has  been  said  to  cause  them  to  appear  so 
deficient. 

Tradition  has  fixed  on  El-Bireh,  less  than  three  hours 
north  of  Jerusalem,  as  the  place  where  the  “Holy  Family” 
stopped  at  the  close  of  the  first  day,  and  whence  they  turned 
back  to  the  city,  in  order  to  seek  the  child,  on  discovering 
that  he  was  absent.  We  can  attach,  indeed,  no  historical 
value  to  this  tradition ;  but  it  is  instructive  in  this  respect, 
that  it  has  selected  that  particular  station  because  parties 
traveling  to  the  north  from  Jerusalem  are  accustomed  to 
spend  the  first  night  there,  and,  in  all  probability,  it  has 
been  the  resting-place  of  caravans  on  that  journey  from  time 
immemorial.  What  route  the  parents  of  Jesus  actually  took, 
on  that  occasion,  we  cannot  decide.  The  Galilean  caravans 
(they  traveled  with  one,  as  we  see  from  Luke  2,  44),  in 
order  to  avoid  Samaria,  usually  crossed  the  ford  of  the  Jor¬ 
dan  near  Bethshean,  now  Beisan,  into  Perea,  then  passed 
down  on  the  east  side  of  the  Jordan,  re-crossed  the  river 
near  Jericho,  and  ascended  to  Jerusalem  through  the  desert 
which  lies  between  the  two  cities.  A  company  returning  to 
Galilee  by  the  same  route  would  be  apt  to  stop,  for  the  first 
night,  near  the  eastern  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives ;  a  ride, 


16 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


at  a  foot-pace,  of  not  more  than  two  hours.  They  would  not 
be  likely  to  go  further  the  first  day,  because  that  would  oblige 
them  to  encamp  in  a  hostile  region.  How  entirely  natural 
that  in  such  a  crowd  the  members  of  a  family  should  be 
separated  from  each  other  for  two  or  three  hours,  and  espe¬ 
cially  when  one  of  the  objects  of  stopping  so  soon  was  to  see 
whether  the  party  was  complete,  whether  all  had  arrived 
at  the  place  of  rendezvous. 

THE  DECEITFUL  BROOK. 

On  the  second  of  April  I  crossed  a  stone  bridge  over  the 
bed  of  a  stream  to  the  right  of  the  village  of  Kulonieh,  am 
hour  and  a  half  north-west  of  Jerusalem.  It  was  then 
entirely  destitute  of  water.  Prokesch,  * * * §  a  German  traveler, 
who  passed  here  a  few  weeks  later  in  the  season,  speaks  of 
it  as  a  rushing  stream  when  he  saw  it.  Otto  von  Richter,  t 
who  was  here  in  August,  though  he  mentions  the  place  under 
a  wrong  name,  says  that  it  contained  then  a  little  water. 
Salzbacher,  t  who  saw  the  brook  near  the  end  of  June, 
says  that  it  was  entirely  dry.  Richardson,  an  English  trav¬ 
eler,  speaks  of  it  on  the  fifteenth  of  April  as  “a  small  brook,  • 
trickling  down  through  the  valley.”  §  The  stream  is  evi¬ 
dently  a  very  uncertain  one.  It  varies  not  only  in  winter 
and  summer,  but  at  the  same  season  in  different  years.  It 

*  Reise  ins  heilige  Land  (1829),  p.  41. 

f  Wallfahrten  im  Mergenlande  (1815),  p.  15. 

%  Errinnerungen  aus  meiner  Pilgerreise  (1837),  Vol.  II.,  p.  31. 

§  Travels  along  the  Mediterranean,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  236. 


INCIDENT  IN  THE  DESERT. 


IT 


may  be  taken,  however,  as  a  fair  example  of  what  is  true  of 
Eastern  brooks  in  general.  They  flow  with  water  during  the 
rainy  season ;  but,  after  that,  are  liable  to  be  soon  dried  up, 
or,  if  they  contain  water,  contain  it  only  for  a  longer  or 
shorter  time,  according  to  their  situation  and  the  severity  of 
the  heat  of  particular  years.  Hence,  the  traveler  in  quest 
of  water  must  often  be  disappointed  when  he  comes  to  such 
streams.  He  may  find  them  entirely  dry ;  or,  he  may  find 
the  water  gone  at  the  place  where  he  approaches  them, 
though  it  may  still  linger  in  other  places  which  elude  his 
observation ;  he  may  perceive,  from  the  moisture  of  the 
ground,  that  the  last  drops  have  just  disappeared,  and  that 
he  has  arrived  but  a  few  hours  too  late  for  the  attainment 
of  his  object. 

The  chances  of  obtaining  water  in  the  desert  are  equally 
precarious.  The  winter  torrents  there,  owing  to  the  rapidity 
with  which  the  sand  absorbs  them,  arc  still  more  transient. 
The  spring,  which  supplied  a  well  yesterday,  may  fail  to-day ; 
or  the  drifting  sand  may  choke  it  up,  and  obliterate  every 
trace  of  it.  On  the  ninth  day  of  my  journey,  after  leaving 
Cairo,  we  heard  of  a  well  at  some  distance  from  the  regular 
course,  and,  as  the  animals  (except  the  camels)  needed  to  be 
watered,  we  turned  aside  to  visit  the  place.  We  traveled 
for  some  miles  over  immense  sand-heaps  and  under  a  burning 
sun,  with  the  thermometer  at  ninety  degrees  of  Fahrenheit. 
It  was  our  lot  to  be  disappointed.  We  found  the  well, 
indeed,  but  without  a  drop  of  water  in  it  that  could  be 
reached  by  us.  The  wind  had  blown  the  sand  into  it,  and 
2* 


18 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


buried  it  up  to  such  a  depth,  that  all  hope  of  relief  from 
that  source  was  cut  off. 

This  liability  of  a  person  in  the  East  to  be  deceived  in 
his  expectation  of  finding  water  is  the  subject  of  repeated 
allusion  in  the  Scriptures.  In  Job  6,  15,  sq.,  it  furnishes  an 
expressive  image  for  representing  the  fickleness  and  treachery 
of  false-hearted  friends. 

“  My  brethren  have  dealt  deceitfully  like  a  brook, 

As  the  channel  of  brooks  which  pass  away  ; 

Which  are  turbid  by  reason  of  the  ice, 

In  which  is  hidden  the  melted  snow. 

As  soon  as  the  waters  flow  off  they  are  gone  ; 

When  the  heat  comes,  they  vanish  from  their  place. 

The  caravans  on  their  way  turn  aside  ; 

They  go  up  into  the  desert,  and  perish. 

The  caravans  of  Tema  search  anxiously  , 

The  wayfarers  of  Sheba  look  to  them  with  hope. 

They  are  ashamed  because  they  trusted  in  them  ; 

They  come  to  them  and  are  confounded.” 

Our  English  version  of  the  above  passage  fails  to  bring 
out  the  image  distinctly.  The  foregoing  translation,  which  I 
have  brought  nearer  to  the  original,  may  be  made  clearer, 
perhaps,  by  a  word  of  explanation.  The  idea  is,  that  in 
spring  the  streams  are  full ;  they  rush  along  swollen  from 
the  effect  of  the  melting  snow  and  ice.  Summer  comes,  and 
they  can  no  longer  be  trusted.  Those  journeying  in  the 
region  of  such  streams,  fainting  with  thirst,  travel  many  a 
weary  step  out  of  the  way,  in  quest  of  them,  in  the  hope 
that  water  may  still  be  found  in  them.  They  arrive  at  the 


EASTERN  ROADS. 


19 


place,  but  only  to  be  disappointed.  The  deceitful  brook  has 
fled.  They  were  in  the  last  extremity  —  it  was  their  last 
hope,  and  they  die. 

Tema  is  a  region  in  the  north  of  the  Arabian  Desert ; 
Sheba  a  region  of  Arabia  Felix.  “Caravans,”  says  Um- 
breit, *  “from  these  particular  places  are  mentioned  to  give 
life  and  individuality  to  the  picture.”  The  scene  is  laid  in 
Arabia,,  because  it  is  in  that  country  especially  that  travelers 
are  liable  to  suffer  from  want  of  water. 

Another  passage  where  the  same  comparison  occurs  is 
Jeremiah  15,  18 : 

“  Why  is  my  affliction  perpetual. 

And  my  wound  incurable  ? 

It  will  not  be  healed. 

Thou  art  to  me  as  a  lying  brook, 

As  waters  which  are  not  enduring.” 


SLIDING  OF  THE  FEET. 

A  few  hours  beyond  Wady  f  Aly,  on  the  way  to  Jerusalem, 
from  the  ancient  Joppa,  now  Jaffa,  I  had  my  first  experience 
of  some  of  the  worst  evils  of  an  eastern  road.  It  is  hardly 
correct,  indeed,  to  speak  of  such  a  thing  as  a  road  in  Palestine. 
Carriages  arc  now  unknown  there  ;  and  the  thoroughfares  con¬ 
sist  merely  of  tracks  worn  by  the  feet  of  the  beasts  of  burden. 
As  the  country  is  hilly,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  extensive 

*  Commentar  tiber  die  Propheten. 

t  This  is  the  oriental  term  for  a  valley  or  depression  through  which 
a  stream  flows  in  the  rainy  season. 


20 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


plains,  and  as  the  tops  of  the  hills  generally  present  a  surface 
of  denuded  rocks,  the  paths  over  them  are  not  only  rugged  and 
narrow,  but  often  ascend  and  descend  almost  as  steeply  as  a 
flight  of  stairs.  Nothing  but  the  singular  expertness  of  the 
animals  trained  to  this  sort  of  traveling  enables  them  to 
climb  these  heights  and  maintain  their  foothold ;  and,  even 
•  with  that  advantage,  missteps  may  occur,  not  a  little  danger¬ 
ous.  In  addition  to  this,  the  paths  conduct  one  often  to  ihe 
edge  of  precipices  and  fissures,  which  expose  him  still  more. 
Stepping  a  few  feet  the  wrong  way,  perhaps  treading  on  a 
rolling  stone,  or  the  sudden  start  of  his  horse  or  mule,  may 
cause  his  destruction.  Of  this  character,  for  instance,  was 
a  part  of  the  way  between  Kuryet-El-Enab  (supposed  to  be 
the  ancient  Kirjath  Jearim)  and  Jerusalem.  We  were 
obliged  to  dismount  in  some  places,  and  pick  our  way  on  foot. 

This  physical  configuration  of  the  country  and  the  nature 
of  the  roads  have  originated  a  mode  of  speaking  in  the  Bible,* 
the  force  of  which  is  not  always  perceived.  I  refer  to  the 
passages  which  represent  it  as  so  calamitous  a  thing  for  the 
traveler  to  fall,  stumble,  have  his  feet  slide,  and  the  like. 
Thus,  it  is  said  of  the  wise  son,  in  Proverbs  3,  23 :  “  Then 
shalt  thou  walk  in  thy  way  safely,  and  thy  foot  shall  not 
stumble.”  See,  also,  Proverbs  4,  12.  In  Jeremiah  31,  9, 
the  safety  of  a  straight  path  is  opposed  to  one  in  which  men 
are  liable  to  stumble.  See,  also,  Jeremiah  50,  32.  In 
Psalm  38,  17,  the  Psalmist  prays  that  his  enemies  might 
not  “  rejoice  over  him  when  his  foot  slippeth ;  ”  and  in 
Psalm  66,  9,  he  says  of  the  righteous,  that  God  “  holdeth 


DANGEROUS  ROADS. 


21 


their  soul  in  life,  and  suffereth  not  their  feet  to  be  moved.” 
In  Deuteronomy  22,  35,  Glod  says  of  the  wicked  :  “  To  me 
belongeth  vengeance  and  recompense  ;  their  foot  shall  slide 
in  due  time.” 

I  can  never  forget  the  vividness  with  which  the  significancy 
of  this  figure,  in  such  applications  as  the  last,  was  brought 
home  to  me  on  one  particular  occasion.  I  was  going  from 
Tekoa  (Amos  1,  1)  to  Khureitun,*  where  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable  caves  in  Palestine,  called  traditionally  the  cave  of 
Adullam,  though  without  sufficient  reason.  The  road  crowded 
us  into  a  narrow  foot-path  between  a  high  cliff,  on  the 
right  hand,  and  an  immense  ravine,  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  on 
the  left.  It  was  almost  enough  to  make  the  head  reel  to 
look  into  the  horrid  chasm.  A  slight  confusion  of  mind,  a 
shelving  rock,  a  slip  of  the  foot,  would  have  hurled  horse 
and  rider  to  destruction  in  a  moment.  After  a  rain,  such 
places  must  be  still  more  dangerous ;  since  the  ground 
would  then  be  slippery,  and  the  smaller  stones  more  or  less 
loosened.  As  an  image  of  the  doom  of  the  wicked,  what 
could  be  more  expressive  to  the  minds  of  those  accustomed 
to  such  perils  than  the  words,  “  Their  feet  shall  slide  in 
due  time”  ? 

PILGRIM  PSALMS. 

It  was  a  pleasing  coincidence  to  recollect,  as  I  was  ap¬ 
proaching  Jerusalem,  that  an  allusion  to  this  kind  of  danger 

*  This  may  be  a  corruption  for  Kerioth,  a  city  of  Judah  (Joshua  15, 
25)  ;  and  if  so,  it  was  the  home  of  Judas  the  traitor,  who  was  thence 
called  Iscariot,  that  is,  man  of  Kerioth.  It  is  a  few  miles  south  of 
Bethlehem. 


22 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


occurs  in  one  of  the  Psalms  of  Degrees  or  Pilgrimages  (121 — 
134)  :  a  class  of  Psalms  composed  for  the  use  of  the  Hebrews 
as  they  went  up  to  celebrate  the  yearly  festival  in  the  capital 
of  the  nation.  Nothing  could  be  more  natural  than  that  the 
pious  worshipper,  after  having  surmounted  the  peculiar  dangers 
of  such  a  journey,  should  single  out  his  exemption  from  the 
casualties  of  the  wray  as  a  special  mark  of  the  divine  good¬ 
ness  to  him. 

“  He  suffers  not  thy  foot  to  slide  ; 

Thy  Keeper  slumbers  not. 

Behold,  he  neither  slumbers  nor  sleeps 
Who  is  the  Keeper  of  Israel.” 

How  often  may  these  words  have  given  utterance  to  the 
grateful  joy  with  which  the  pilgrim  from  Galilee,  who  had 
crossed  the  steep  mountains  of  Ephraim,  or  the  pilgrim  from 
the  south  of  J udah,  who  had  pursued  his  way  over  lofty  sum¬ 
mits  and  along  the  verge  of  precipices,  having  reached  at 
length  the  holy  city,  has  looked  back,  almost  with  shudder¬ 
ing,  upon  the  perils  which  attended  his  steps,  and  blessed  the 
care  which  watched  over  him,  and  brought  him  in  safety  to 
the  goal  of  his  hopes  and  desires  ! 

“  Standing  now  are  our  feet 
Within  thy  gates,  0  Jerusalem  ! 

Whither  go  up  the  tribes, 

The  tribes  of  Jehovah,  as  prescribed  to  Israel, 

To  give  thanks  to  the  name  of  Jehovah. 

Pray  for  the  peace  of  Jerusalem  ; 

May  they  prosper  who  love  thee. 


CHANTING  OF  HYMNS. 


23 


May  peace  be  within  thy  walls, 

Prosperity  within  thy  palaces.” 

MODERN  PILGRIMAGES. 

It  may  be  added  here  that  modern  pilgrims  in  the 
East,  like  the  ancient  Hebrews,  are  accustomed  to  enliven 
their  march  with  music  and  song.  The  caravans  that  go 
annually  from  Cairo  to  Mecca,  and  from  Damascus  to  Mecca, 
have  their  pilgrim  hymns,  which  they  chant  on  the  way. 
Compositions  designed  for  this  use  fill  a  large  space  in  the 
popular  religious  literature  of  the  Mohammedans.  So,  too,  the 
oriental  Christians,  as  the  Greeks,  Copts  and  others,  who  go 
up  to  Jerusalem  in  such  numbers  to  commemorate  the  holy 
week,  make  the  country  resound  with  their  songs  as  they 
approach  the  end  of  their  journey.  It  fell  in  my  way  to  see, 
or  rather  to  hear,  something  of  this  on  one  occasion. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  first,  we  encamped  early  at 
Kamleli,  in  the  plain  of  Sharon,  whence  we  could  see  the  tall 
minaret  which  distinguishes  Ludd,  the  ancient  Lydda.  See 
Acts  9,  32,  sq.  Procuring  a  Turkish  cavass  or  soldier  as  an 
escort,  I  separated  myself  from  the  rest  of  the  party  and  rode 
across  the  plain  to  that  village.  On  the  way  thither,  soon  after 
leaving  Ramleh,  I  passed  a  large  company  of  pilgrims,  who 
had  halted  for  the  night  under  the  trees  by  the  road-side ; 
there  were  men,  women,  and  children  too  of  every  age,  with 
camels,  horses  and  donkeys,  and  heaps  of  luggage  scattered 
in  confusion  around  them.  They  were  traveling  to  the  holy 
city,  and  had  now  arrived  within  a  day’s  march  of  their 


24 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


destination.  In  the  course  of  the  following  night  they  broke 
up  their  encampment  at  an  early  hour,  and  long  before  day¬ 
break  passed  our  tents  at  Ramleh.  They  were  full  of  joy 
naturally  at  the  thought  of  so  much  of  their  pilgrimage 
accomplished  in  safety,  and  at  the  prospect  of  its  speedy 
termination.  It  was  truly  exciting  to  listen,  in  the  other¬ 
wise  still  night,  to  their  jubilant  voices,  as,  in  chorus  or  singly, 
they  sung  the  hymns  expressive  of  their  feelings  under  such 
circumstances.  The  scene  carried  back  my  thoughts  forcibly 
to  the  time  when  bands  of  the  countrymen  of  David,  Isaiah 
and  Daniel,  approached  Jerusalem  on  a  similar  errand,  and 
woke  up  the  silence  of  night  with  strains  not  less  impas¬ 
sioned,  and,  as  we  would  hope,  not  less  religious.  The 
Psalms  are  full  of  sentiments  which  would  occur  to  the  mind 
at  such  a  time.  With  what  depth  of  meaning  could  the 
pious  heart  have  said  : 

“  How  lovely  are  thy  abodes,  Jehovah  of  hosts  ! 

My  soul  longs  and  faints  for  the  courts  of  Jehovah  ; 

My  heart  and  my  flesh, 

They  cry  aloud  for  the  living  God. 

“  Blessed  are  they  that  dwell  in  thy  house  ! 

They  shall  still  be  praising  thee. 

Better  is  a  day  in  thy  courts  than  a  thousand  (elsewhere)  ; 

I  would  rather  stand  at  the  door  of  the  house  of  my  God 
Than  dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness. 

“  Jehovah  loveth  the  gates  of  Zion 
More  than  all  the  dwellings  of  Jacob. 

Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee, 

0  city  of  God  ! 


WHAT  CONSTITUTES  AN  OASIS. 


25 


Beautiful  for  situation,  joy  of  all  the  earth, 

Is  Mount  Zion,  city  of  the  great  King.” 

The  foregoing  passages  occur  in  the  forty-eighth,  the 
eighty-fourth  and  the  eighty-seventh  Psalms. 

PASTURES  OF  THE  DESERT. 

It  is  a  common  idea  that  the  country  between  the  eastern 
arm  of  the  Nile  and  the  south  of  Palestine  is  entirely  des¬ 
titute  of  vegetation ;  but  the  idea  is  not  correct.  One 
exception  to  the  general  dreariness  of  the  desert  is  found  in 
the  occurrence  of  an  occasional  oasis  —  a  little  island  of 
verdure  amid  an  ocean  of  comparative  desolation,  where  a 
few  Arabs  spread  their  tents  beneath  the  tall  palms,  and,  in 

addition  to  the  care  of  their  flocks,  cultivate  the  little  tract, 

• 

which  a  running  stream  or  a  fountain  enables  them  to  irri¬ 
gate  and  render  fertile.  Between  Salahieh,  on  the  edge  of 
the  desert,  and  the  entrance  to  the  holy  land,  two  such  oases 
gladden  the  eyes  of  the  traveler.  One  of  these  is  Katieh, 
which  we  reached  on  the  seventh  day  from  Cairo,  where  was 
a  grove  of  palms,  a  small  Arab  encampment,  and  a  good 
well  of  water.  The  other  is  El  Arish,  on  the  boundary 
between  Egypt  and  Syria,  a  large  village.  It  was  the 
Botany  Bay  of  the  Pharaohs,  whither  they  banished  their 
convicts,  after  having  slit  their  noses  as  an  ineffaceable  mark 
of  their  character  as  felons.  The  Greeks  called  it  Bhinoco- 
lura,  with  reference  to  this  mutilation.  The  Hebrews,  during 
their  wanderings  in  the  wilderness,  encamped  often  at  places 
of  this-  description. 


3 


26 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Another  peculiarity  of  the  desert  is  that,  though  the  soil  is 
sandy,  it  rarely  consists,  for  successive  days  together,  of  mere 
sand ;  it  is  interspersed,  at  frequent  intervals,  with  clumps 
of  coarse  grass  and  low  shrubs,  affording  very  good  pas¬ 
turage,  not  only  for  camels,  the  proper  tenants  of  the  desert, 
but  for  sheep  and  goats.  The  people  of  the  villages  on  the 
borders  of  the  desert  are  accustomed  to  lead  forth  their 
flocks  to  the  pastures  found  there.  We  frequently  passed  on 
our  way  shepherds  so  employed ;  and  it  was  interesting  to 
observe  as  a  verification  of  what  is  implied  in  the  Saviour’s 
statement  (Matthew  25,  33),  that  the  sheep  and  goats 
were  not  kept  distinct,  but  intermixed  with  one  another. 
The  shepherds  not  only  frequent  the  parts  of  the  desert  near 
their  places  of  abode,  but  go  often  to  a  considerable  distance 
from  them ;  they  remain  absent  for  weeks  and  months,  only 
changing  their  station  from  time  to  time,  as  their  wants  in 
respect  to  water  and  herbage  may  require.  The  incident 
related  of  Moses  shows  that  the  pastoral  habits  of  the  people 
were  the  same  in  his  day  :  “  Now  Moses  kept  the  flock  of 
Jethro,  his  father-in-law,  the  priest  of  Midian;  and  he  led 
the  flock  to  the  further  part  of  the  desert,  even  to  Horeb.” 
(Exodus  3,  1.)  It  is  of  the  desert  in  this  sense,  as  sup¬ 
plying  to  some  extent  the  means  of  pasturage,  that  the 
prophet  Joel  speaks  in  1,  19,  and  2,  22.  The  Psalmist  also 
says  (65,  12.  13),  with  the  same  reference : 

“  Thou  crownest  the  year  with  thy  goodness, 

And  thy  paths  drop  fatness  ; 

They  drop  fatness  on  the  pastures  of  the  wilderness.’’ 


WHERE  THE  HEBREWS  DWELT. 


27 


Indeed,  the  Hebrew  idea  of  the  term  was  still  more  exten¬ 
sive.  Tracts  of  country  comparatively  fertile  are  called 
deserts,  in  the  Bible,  when  they  are  remote  from  towns  and 
but  thinly  inhabited.  Hence  we  read  in  the  Gospels  that 
John,  the  forerunner  of  Christ,  preached  and  baptized  in  the 
wilderness,  and  crowds  resorted  to  him  there  to  hear  him. 

LAND  OF  GOSIIEN. 

It  was  not  until  the  third  or  fourth  day  after  leaving 
Cairo  that  we  entered  upon  the  desert  properly  so  called. 
During  the  previous  days  our  journey  lay  along  the  borders 
of  the  ancient  Goshen  —  a  fertile  tract  east  of  the  Nile,  and 
still  favorably  distinguished  above  other  parts  of  Egypt  for 
its  adaptation  to  the  wants  of  an  agricultural  people.  “  The 
land  of  Egypt  is  before  thee,”  said  Pharaoh  to  Joseph; 
“  in  the  best  of  the  land  make  thy  father  and  brethren  to 
dwell ;  in  the  land  of  Goshen  let  them  dwell.”  (Genesis  47, 
6.)  That  Goshen  lay  on  the  east  side  of  the  Nile  is  not  to 
be  doubted ;  for  it  is  nowhere  intimated  in  the  Bible  that 
Jacob,  on  his  arrival  in  Egypt.,  or  the  Israelites,  on  their 
departure  from  it,  crossed  that  river.  It  results  also  from 
such  passages  as  Genesis  47,  1,  and  Exodus  13,  17,  that  this 
district  stretched  towards  Palestine,  as  well  as,  from  the  his¬ 
tory  of  the  flight  of  the  Hebrews,  that  it  was  not  far  from 
the  Bed  Sea.  Hence,  the  traveler’s  journey,  on  the  route 
which  I  followed,  conducts  him  through  the  southern  part 
of  that  region  so  famous  in  the  history  of  the  Israelites. 

The  advantage  of  such  a  situation  to  the  Hebrews  was  two- 


28 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


fold ;  they  had  there  the  benefit  of  all  the  abundance  of  the 
valley  of  the  Nile  (see  Numbers  11,  5),  and  at  the  same  time 
could  drive  out  their  flocks  for  pasture  to  the  neighboring 
desert.  It  was  curious  to  observe  here  the  close  proximity 
between  verdant  fields  and  the  unreclaimed  wilderness.  On 
one  side  were  gardens  of  vegetables,  rich  harvests  of  wheat 
and  maize,  and  groves  of  palm-trees;  and  on  the  other,  at 
the  distance  of  a  single  foot  beyond  the  point  reached  by  the 
overflowing  of  the  Nile,  or  by  artificial  irrigation,  was 
nothing  but  sand  and  sterility.  All  that  is  needed,  in  order 
to  reclaim  from  waste  a  still  greater  portion  of  the  desert,  is 
a  proper  amount  of  enterprise  and  skill  on  the  part  of  the 
inhabitants  in  the  construction  of  canals  for  the  purpose  of 
distributing  the  water  of  the  Nile  beyond  its  natural  limit. 
No  doubt,  in  the  best  days  of  Egypt,  when  the  population 
was  so  much  greater  than  it  is  at  present,  the  resources  of 
the  country,  in  this  respect,  were  more  fully  developed,  and 
extensive  regions,  which  now  lie  waste,  teemed  with  life  and 
the  fruits  of  a  thriving  cultivation. 

At  intervals,  during  the  first  days  of  the  journey,  the 
ground  was  thickly  strown  with  small  stones,  of  different 
shapes  and  colors,  among  which  were  the  onyx,  chalcedony, 
agate,  and  the  like.  Their  number  and  sparkling  lustre,  as 
seen  under  a  brilliant  sunshine,  caused  them  to  resemble 
(with  some  grain  of  allowance  for  the  figure)  a  pavement 
of  rich  mosaic.  I  was  not  aware  that  the  desert  had  such  a 
phase  to  offer  amid  its  diversities  of  appearance ;  the  sight 
was  as  unexpected  as  it  was  novel  and  beautiful. 


AN  OBJECTION  ANSWERED, 


29 


ACCURACY  OF  GENESIS  42,  26, 

The  family  of  Jacob,  during  the  prevalence  of  the  famine 
in  Canaan,  appear  to  have  been  living  at  Hebron.  The  sons 
of  the  patriarch,  when  they  went  into  Egypt  to  buy  corn, 
would  naturally  have  taken  the  shortest  course  thither,  and, 
hence,  must  have  passed,  by  the  way  of  Gaza  or  Beer- 
sheba,  across  the  isthmus,  through  the-  northern  part  of  the 
desert  of  Shur.  It  has  been  said  that,  owing  to  the  want 
of  water,  no  animals  except  camels  can  perform  this  jour¬ 
ney;  and  hence  the  statement  that  Joseph’s  brethren  trans¬ 
ported  their  corn  on  “  asses”  (Genesis  42,  26.  27)  has  been 
alleged  as  an  objection  to  the  truth  of  the  account.  One 
of  the  current  approved  manuals  on  the  geography  of  Pal¬ 
estine  disposes  of  this  objection  by  urging  that  the  desert 
may  have  changed  its  character ;  that  formerly  it  was  better 
supplied  with  water  than  it  is  at  present. 

But  it  is  not  true  that  horses,  mules,  donkeys,  cannot  be 
used  in  this  region ;  though  camels  are  employed  for  the 
most  part,  and  are  more  serviceable.  Several  donkeys  accom¬ 
panied  the  caravan  in  which  I  traveled  through  the  same 
desert.  I  myself  rode  on  horseback  the  whole  way ;  though 
the  others  who  composed  the  party,  with  the  exception  of 
one,  rode  on  camels.  Near  the  middle  of  the  desert  we  met 
a  company  of  Syrians,  who  had  in  charge  several  splendid 
Arab  horses,  which  they  were  carrying  as  a  present  from  the 
Pasha  of  Damascus  to  the  Pasha  of  Egypt.  Water  for  our 
own  use  we  carried  with  us  in  skin  bottles ;  but  relied  on 

3* 


30 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  supplies  of  the  desert  for  watering  the  animals.  The 
camels  drank  but  once  on  the  way,  which  was  on  the  seventh 
day  after  leaving  Cairo,  at  Katieh,  already  mentioned ;  they 
drank  readily,  but  not  at  all  immoderately  or  eagerly  as  if 
oppressed  with  thirst.  The  other  animals,  whose  different 
physical  organization  did  not  allow  them  to  be  fastidious, 
were  willing  to  drink  of  the  muddy,  brackish  water  which  can 
be  scooped  out  of  the  sand  in  several  places  where  the  sur¬ 
face  of  the  desert  sinks  down  into  an  occasional  basin  or 
ravine.  It  was  sometimes  a  scanty  supply  even  of  such  water 
that  we  could  obtain  ;  but  the  suffering  creatures  made  that 
suffice  until  they  could  reach  at  length  a  place  where  they 
could  satisfy  their  wants  more  freely.  Of  the  twelve  days 
which  the  journey  occupied,  there  was  but  one,  if  I  remember 
right,  when  we  were  not  able  to  procure  a  small  quantity 
of  water,  of  some  sort,  for  the  relief  of  our  beasts  of  burden. 
The  notice,  therefore,  respecting  the  animals  which  Jacob’s 
sons  employed  does  not  oblige  us  either  to  impeach  the  accu¬ 
racy  of  the  sacred  narrative,  or  to  suppose,  for  the  purpose 
of  upholding  its  character,  that  any  change  has  taken  place 
in  regard  to  the  difficulties  or  facilities  which  attend  a 
journey  through  this  particular  desert. 


AN  EASTERN  SKY  AT  NIGHT. 


The  appearance  of  an  eastern  sky  at  night  is  quite  pecu- 
liar,  displaying  to  the  eye  a  very  different  aspect  from  our 
sky.  Not  only  is  the 'number  of  stars  -visible  greaten^an 
we  are  accustomed  to  see,  but  they  shine  with  a  brilliancy 


FIRST  NIGHT  IN  THE  DESERT. 


31 


and  purity  of  lustre  of  which  our  heawens  very  seldom 
furnish  an  example.  Homer’s  comparison,  at  the  beginning 
of  the  Fifth  Book  of  the  Iliad, 

“ - —  bright  and  steady  as  the  star 

Autumnal,  which  in  ocean  newly  bathed 
Assumes  fresh  beauty - 5  5  * 

was  often  brought  to  mind,  as  I  remarked  the  fresh,  unsullied 
splendor,  as  it  were,  of  the  more  brilliant  constellations. 

An  oriental  sky  has  another  peculiarity,  which  adds  very 
much  to  its  impressive  appearance.  With  us  the  stars  seem 
to  adhere  to  the  face  of  the  heavens ;  they  form  the  most 
distant  objects  within  the  range  of  vision  ;  they  appear  to 
be  set  in  a  groundwork  of  thick  darkness,  beyond  which  the 
eye  does  not  penetrate.  Unlike  this  is  the  canopy  which 
night  spreads  over  the  traveler  in  Eastern  climes.  The  stars 
there  seem  to  hang,  like  burning  lamps,  midway  between 
heaven  and  earth  ;  the  pure  atmosphere  enables  us  to  see  a 
deep  expanse  of  blue  ether  lying  far  beyond  them.  The 
hemisphere  above  us  glows  and  sparkles  with  innumerable 
fires,  that  appear  as  if  kept  burning  in  their  position  by  an 
immediate  act  of  the  Omnipotent,  instead  of  resting  on  a 
framework  which  subserves  the  illusion  of  seeming  to  give 
to  them  their  support. 

Never  can  I  forget  my  first  night  in  the  desert,  in  traveling 
from  Egypt  to  Palestine.  I  had  entered  the  tent  erected  for 
me,  about  dark,  and,  being  occupied  there  for  some  time,  the 


*  Cowper’s  Translation. 


32 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


shadows  of  evening  in  the  mean  while  insensibly  gathered 
around  us ;  the  stars  came  forth  one  after  another,  and  com¬ 
menced  their  nightly  watch.  On  going  abroad,  at  length,  a 
scene  of  surpassing  beauty  and  grandeur  burst  .upon  me.  I 
was  in  the  midst  of  a  level  tract  of  sand,  where  no  intervening 
object  rose  up  to  intercept  the  view ;  the  horizon  which 
swept  around  me  was  as  expanded  as  the  power  of  human 
vision  could  make  it ;  and  all  this  vast  circuit,  as  I  glanced 
from  the  right  hand  to  the  left,  and  from  the  edge  of  the  sky 
to  the  zenith,  was  glittering  with  countless  stars,  each  of 
which  seemed  radiant  with  a  distinct  light  of  its  own  ;  many 
of  which  shone  with  something  of  the  splendor  of  planets 
of  the  first  magnitude.  I  could  not  resist  the  impulse  of  the 
moment,  but  taking  my  Hebrew  Bible,  read,  with  a  new  im¬ 
pression  of  its  meaning,  the  sublime  language  of  the  Psalm¬ 
ist  : 

“  Jeliovali,  our  Lord,  how  excellent  thy  name  in  all  the  earth, 
Who  hast  placed  thy  glory  upon  the  heavens  ! 

When  I  consider  thy  heavens,  the  work  of  thy  fingers  ; 

The  moon  and  stars  which  thou  hast  made  ; 

What  is  man,  that  thou  art  mindful  of  him, 

And  the  son  of  man,  that  thou  carest  for  him  ?  ” 

I  remembered,  too,  that  it  was  probably  in  some  such  situ¬ 
ation  as  this  in  which  I  was  then  placed,  and  on  an  evening 
like  this,  that  Abraham  was  directed  to  go  abroad,  and  “  look 
towards  heaven,  and  tell  the  stars  if  he  could  number  them,” 
and  thus  form  an  idea  of  the  multitude  of  the  posterity 
destined  to  be  called  after  his  name.  (Genesis  15,  5.)  I 


LIVING  IN  TENTS. 


33 


turned  to  that  passage  also,  and  saw  a  grandeur  in  the  com¬ 
parison,  of  which  I  had  possessed  hitherto  but  a  vague 
conception. 

ft  • 

USE  OF  TENTS  IN  THE  EAST. 

The  use  of  tents  in  Africa  and  Western  Asia  extends  back 
to  the  earliest  times.  In  Genesis  4,  20,  it  is  said  that  Jabal 
“  was  the  father  of  such  as  dwell  in  tents,  and  of  such  as 
have  cattle.”  Abraham  was  a  tenant  of  one  of  these  change¬ 
able  abodes  during  all  his  life.  Of  Isaac  we  read  that  he 
“  pitched  his  tent  in  the  valley  of  Gerar  and  dwelt  there.” 
(Genesis  12,  8.)  “  Jacob  was  a  plain  man,  dwelling  in  tents.” 
(Genesis  25,  27.)  The  Hebrews  lived  in  tents  during  all 
their  sojourn  in  the  wilderness.  Though  they  had  towns 
and  houses  of  stone,  after  they  took  possession  of  the 
promised  land,  many  of  them  still  led  a  wandering,  pastoral 
life,  and  occupied  tents,  like  their  fathers.  Such  statements 
as  the  following  are  frequent  in  the  Old  Testament :  “  On 
the  eighth  day  Solomon  sent  the  people  away ;  and  they 
blessed  the  king,  and  went  unto  their  tents.”  (1  Kings  8,  66.) 
“  Every  man  to  his  tents,  0  Israel  ”  (2  Samuel  20,  1),  was 
the  common  watchword  for  dismissing  the  people  to  their 
homes.  “  And  the  people  fled  into  their  tents.”  (2  Kings  8, 
21.)  “  And  the  children  of  Israel  dwelt  in  their  tents,  as 

beforetime.”  (2  Kings  13,  5.)  Gideon  “sent  all  the  rest  of 
Israel  every  man  unto  his  tent.”  (Judges  7,  8.)  A  great 
many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  East  live  in  the  same  way  at 
the  present  time.  A  custom,  so  general  and  permanent, 
would  be  expected  to  influence  the  language  of  the  people. 


34 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Many  scriptural  illustrations  are  drawn  from  this  source. 
The  poetry  of  David,  who  was  a  shepherd’s  son,  abounds  in 
reminiscences  of  his  first  occupation.  Some  of  the  most 
touching  passages  in  the  history  of  the  patriarchs  are  con¬ 
nected  with  their  tent-life.  The  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles, 
it  will  be  remembered,  was  a  tent-maker. 

It  was  my  lot  to  live  in  one  of  these  primitive  abodes  for 
several  weeks.  This  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  form  some 
acquaintance  with  this  phase  of  oriental  life.  The  tents 
used  by  foreigners  are  not  like  those  of  the  natives  in  all 
respects;  but  they  are  so  far  fashioned  after  the  same  model, 
and  employed  under  circumstances  so  similar,  that  the  trav¬ 
eler  is  constantly  reminded  of  allusions  to  this  subject  in  the 
Bible,  and  led  to  perceive  a  force  in  them,  which  nothing 
but  some  experience  of  this  kind  could  so  adequately  disclose 
to  him. 

PITCHING  OF  THE  TENT. 

The  pitching  of  the  tent  forms  the  first  labor,  at  the  close 
of  the  day,  in  preparing  for  the  night.  An  upright  pole  is 
fixed  in  the  ground,  and  the  canvas  is  then  stretched  out 
around  it  by  means  of  cords  fastened  at  one  end  to  the 
upper  part  or  roof  of  the  tent,  having  loop-holes  at  the  other 
end,  through  which  a  stake  or  wooden  peg  is  passed  and  then 
driven  into  the  ground  with  a  mallet.  The  tents  of  the 
Arabs  are  secured  in  the  same  manner,  though  when  occu¬ 
pied  by  families  they  are  larger  and  rest  often  on  a  frame¬ 
work  of  several  poles.  Every  one  see3  here  the  origin  of  a 
mode  of  speaking  which  shows  clearly  where  the  Scriptures 


LANGUAGE  OF  THE  PROPHETS. 


35 


were  written.  It  is  said  of  God,  as  the  Creator :  “  He 
stretcheth  out  the  heavens  as  a  curtain,  and  spreadeth  them 
out  as  a  tent  to  dwell  in.”  (Isaiah  40,  22.)  The  prophet,  as 
he  looks  forward  to  a  happier  day  for  the  people  of  God, 
says  :  “  Thine  eyes  shall  see  J erusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a 
tabernacle  that  shall  not  be  taken  down ;  not  one  of  the 
stakes  thereof  shall  ever  be  removed,  neither  shall  any  of  the 
cords  thereof  be  broken.”  (Isaiah  33,  20.)  Again,  in  antici¬ 
pation  of  accessions  to  their  number,  he  exclaims  :  “  Enlarge 
the  place  of  thy  tent,  and  stretch  forth  the  curtains  of  thy 
habitations;  spare  not,  lengthen  thy  cords  and  strengthen 
thy  stakes ;  for  thou  shalt  break  forth  on  the  right  hand  and 
the  left.”  (Isaiah  54,  2.) 

The  putting  up  and  taking  down  of  the  tents,  at  the 
present  day,  is  the  same  operation,  beyond  doubt,  that  it 
was  at  the  time  when  the  Bible  was  written.  The  nail  and 
mallet  or  hammer  are  mentioned  as  a  part  of  the  “  house¬ 
hold  stuff”  in  the  story  of  Jael  and  Sisera.  Many  a  trav¬ 
eler  can  say,  with  Lord  Lindsay,*  that  he  never  saw  a  tent- 
pin  driven  without  calling  to  mind  that  narrative.  (Judges  4, 
IT,  sq.)  Our  English  version  obscures  a  part  of  the  mean¬ 
ing,  in  certain  passages.  Thus,  in  Genesis  12,  9,  where  it  is 
said,  “  Abraham  journeyed,  going  on  still,”  a  more  literal 
translation  would  be,  “He  pulled  up,”  namely,  his  tent-pins, 
“  going  and  pulling  up,”  as  he  advanced  from  one  station  to 
another.  So,  in  Genesis  33, 12,  instead  of  “  Let  us  take  our 
journey  and  go,”  it  should  be,  “  Let  us  pull  up  the  pins  of 

*  Letters  on  the  Holy  Land,  4th  ed.,  p.  166. 


36 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


our  tents,  and  let  us  go.”  The  same  allusion  occurs  in  Gene¬ 
sis  35,  21 ;  46,  1 ;  Exodus  13,  20,  and  elsewhere.  Hence, 
our  successive  encampments,  as  we  journeyed  through  the 
desert,  brought  back  to  us,  in  our  own  experience,  something 
(to  use  the  words  of  Thomson) 

“  of  the  patriarchal  age, 

What  time  Dan  Abraham  left  the  Chaldee  land, 

And  pastured  on  from  stage  to  stage, 

Where  fields  and  fountains  fresh  could  best  engage.” 

FREQUENT  REMOVALS. 

The  tents  of  the  East,  as  intimated  already,  seldom  remain 
long  in  the  same  place.  The  traveler  erects  his  temporary 
abode  for  the  night,  takes  it  down  in  the  morning,  and  jour¬ 
neys  onward.  The  shepherds  of  the  country,  also,  are  con¬ 
stantly  moving  from  one  place  to  another.  The  brook  fails 
on  which  they  relied  for  water,  or  the  grass  required  for  the 
support  of  their  flocks  is  consumed,  and  they  wander  to  a  new 
station.  “  There  is  something  very  melancholy,”  writes  Lord 
Lindsay,  “in  our  morning  Sittings.  The  tent-pins  are  plucked 
up,  and  in  a  few  minutes  a  dozen  holes,  a  heap  or  two  of 
ashes,  and  the  marks  of  the  camels’  knees  in  the  sand,  soon 
to  be  obliterated,  are  the  only  traces  left  of  what  has  been, 
for  a  while,  our  home.”  Hence,  this  rapid  change  of  situa¬ 
tion,  this  removal  from  one  spot  to  another,  without  being 
able  to  foresee  to-day  where  the  wanderer  will  rest  to-morrow, 
affords  a  striking  image  of  man’s  life  —  so  brief,  fleeting, 
uncertain.  Thus  Hezekiah  felt  in  the  near  prospect  of 


FIGURATIVE  EXPRESSIONS. 


37 


death  :  “  Mine  age  is  departed,  and  is  removed  from  me  as  a 
shepherd’s  tent.”  (Isaiah  38, 12.)  Jacob  calls  his  life  a  pil¬ 
grimage  (Genesis  47,  9),  with  reference  to  the  same  express¬ 
ive  idea.  The  body,  as  the  temporary  home  of  the  soul,  is 
called  a  “  tent,”  or  “  tabernacle,”  because  it  is  so  frail  and 
perishable.  Thus  Paul  says,  in  2  Corinthians  5,  1 :  “  For 
we  know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  tabernacle  were 
dissolved”  (taken  down  is  the  proper  term),  “we  have  a  build¬ 
ing  of  God,  an  house  not  made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the 
heavens.”  The  apostle  Peter  employs  the  same  figure :  “Yea, 
I  think  it  meet,  as  long  as  I  am  in  this  tabernacle,  to  stir 
you  up,  by  putting  you  in  remembrance ;  knowing  that 
shortly  I  must  put  off  this  my  tabernacle,  even  as  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  hath  showed  me.”  (2  Peter  1,  13.) 

REMARKS  OF  McCHEYNE. 

The  following  remarks  of  Mr.  McCheyne,*  one  of  the 
Scotch  delegation  to  the  Jews  in  Palestine,  breathe  the  spirit 
of  a  true  Christian  pilgrim.  They  have  a  more  tender  in¬ 
terest  from  the  fact  that  he  who  wrote  them  was  called  so 
soon  to  finish  his  wanderings,  and  exchange  the  earthly  tab¬ 
ernacle  for  his  permanent  home  in  heaven.  Speaking  of  his 
journey  through  the  desert,  he  says  :  “  Living  in  tents, 

and  moving  among  such  lonely  scenes  for  many  days, 
awakened  many  new  ideas.  It  was  a  strange  life  that  we 
led  in  the  wilderness.  Pound  and  round  was  a  complete 

*  Life  and  Remains  of  the  Rev.  Robert  M.  McCheyne,  by  Rev.  A.  A. 

Bonar. 


4 


38 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


circle  of  sand  and  wilderness  shrubs ;  above,  a  blue  sky  with¬ 
out  a  cloud,  and  a  scorching  sun.  When  evening  came  the 
sun  went  down  as  it  does  in  the  ocean,  and  the  stars  came 
riding  forth  in  their  glory  ;  and  we  used  to  pitch  our  tents 
all  alone,  with  none  but  the  poor  Bedouins  and  the  camels, 
and  our  all-knowing,  all-loving  God,  beside  us.  When  morn¬ 
ing  began  to  dawn  our  habitations  were  taken  down ;  often 
we  found  ourselves  shelterless  before  being  fully  dressed. 
What  a  type  of  the  tent  of  our  body !  Ah !  how  often 
taken  down  before  the  soul  is  made  meet  for  the  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light !  ” 

It  was  amid  such  scenes  —  scenes  too  suggestive  of  such 
reflections  —  that  the  patriarchs  spent  most  of  their  days. 
One  can  hardly  open  the  early  pages  of  the  Bible  anywhere, 
and  not  discover  a  new  meaning  in  them  when  he  reads 
them  in  the  light  of  such  descriptions.  It  will  be  seen,  too, 
from  this  example,  how  readily  a  person  falls  into  the  use  of 
the  same  figures  when  placed  in  the  situation  of  the  sacred 
writers. 

THE  TENTS  OF  KEDAR. 

The  goats  of  the  East  are  commonly  black,  and  a  species 
of  cloth  is  made  from  their  skins,  having  the  same  color. 
This  is  the  article  commonly  used  by  the  Arabs  for  covering 
their  tents.  In  approaching  Bethlehem  from  the  direction 
of  the  desert,  I  passed  an  encampment  of  this  people,  whose 
tents  were  all  made  of  this  black  cloth,  and  which  presented 
a  striking  appearance,  especially  as  contrasted  with  the  wdiite 
canvas  tents  to  which.  I  had  been  accustomed  hitherto,  and 


CONTRAST  OF  COLORS. 


39 


which  travelers  so  generally  employ  in  that  country.  At 
Tekoa,  Amos’  birth-place,  six  miles  south  of  Bethlehem,  I 
beheld  a  similar  scene.  The  settlement  there  consisted  of 
two  small  groups  of  tents,  one  larger  than  the  other  ;  they 
were  covered  with  the  black  cloth  before  mentioned,  sup¬ 
ported  on  several  poles,  and  turned  up  in  part  on  one  side, 
so  that  a  person  from  without  could  look  into  the  interior. 
The  Arab  tents  which  I  saw  on  the  Phoenician  plain, 
between  Tyre  and  Sidon,  were  covered  with  the  same  mate¬ 
rial.  In  crossing  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  the  path  of 
the  traveler  leads  him  often  along  the  brow  of  lofty  summits, 
overlooking  deep  valleys,  at  the  bottom  of  which  may  be 
seen  the  long  black  tents  of  migratory  shepherds. 

It  is  this  aspect  of  a  Bedouin  encampment  that  supplies 
the  comparison  in  Solomon’s  Song  (1,  5) :  “I  am  black,  but 
comely,  0  ye  daughters  of  Jerusalem,  as  the  tents  of  Kedar, 
as  the  curtains  of  Solomon.”  It  is  the  just  remark  of  a . 
certain  traveler  that  “  It  would  be  often  difficult  to  ascribe 
the  epithet  ‘comely’  to  the  tents  of  the  orientals,  viewed 
singly ;  but  as  forming  part  of  a  prospect  they  are  a  very 
beautiful  object.”  Being  pitched  often  in  the  midst  of  ver¬ 
dant  meadows  watered  by  a  running  brook,  their  appearance, 
as  beheld  by  the  distant  observer,  is  the  more  pleasing  from 
the  contrast  of  colors  which  strike  the  eye.  The  pure 
atmosphere  and  brilliant  sunshine  of  the  East,  it  will  be 
remembered,  give  an  almost  prismatic  effect  to  every  object. 

I  add,  for  the  sake  of  explanation,  that  Kedar  was  the 
name  of  an  Arabian  or  Ishmaelitish  tribe,  who,  like  nomadic 


40 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


wanderers  in  general,  appear  to  have  dwelt  in  different 
places  at  different  times.  They  are  mentioned  repeatedly  in 
the  Old  Testament.  The  Psalmist,  for  instance  (120,  5), 
alludes  to  them  in  the  expression,  “  Woe  is  me  that  I  dwell 
in  the  tents  of  Kedar  !  ”  They  seem  to  have  had  a  bad  pre¬ 
eminence  above  others  of  their  race  as  a  cpiarrelsome,  bel¬ 
ligerent  people. 

SAND-HILLS. 

With  the  exception  of  bleak,  rocky  mountains  (which  are 
to  be  seen  only  at  a  distance),  the  journey  to  Palestine 
through  the  desert  of  Suez  presents  examples  of  every 
variety  of  scenery  to  be  found  on  any  of  the  customary  routes 
to  the  holy  land.  During  parts  of  two  different  days,  out  of 
the  thirteen  that  we  spent  in  the  wilderness,  the  aspect  of  the 
desert  was  wild  and  dreary  in  a  manner  fully  equal  to  the 
expectations  which  I  had  formed  of  such  regions.  We  spent 
one  night,  in  particular,  in  the  midst  of  a  solitude  sublimely 
terrific  in  its  character.  During  the  erection  of  the  tent  I 
strolled  away  alone,  and  mounted  with  some  difficulty  to  the 
top  of  one  of  the  huge  sand-hills.  There  I  sat  down,  and 
from  that  “  spectral  mount  ”  looked  abroad  upon  the  scene 
which  surrounded  me.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  ex¬ 
cept  in  one  quarter  where  were  a  few  dwarfish  palm-trees, 
nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  sand-heaps  piled  up  in  every 
variety  of  fantastic  shape.  In  one  direction  they  rose  up 
abruptly  to  a  great  height,  like  pointed  shafts  or  pyramids ; 
in  another,  without  being  so  high,  they  took  the  form  of 
hillocks,  following  each  other  like  a  succession  of  rolling 


STORMS  OF  SAND. 


41 


■waves.  Sometimes  they  formed  sand-banks,  sloping  away 
gradually  on  one  side  to  a  great  distance,  while  the  other 
side  terminated  almost  perpendicularly,  with  the  tops  curling 
over  like  a  crested  wave  just  as  it  is  ready  to  break.  Some¬ 
times,  again,  both  sides  sloped  down  gradually,  while  the 
line  where  they  met  at  the  top  presented  an  appearance  like 
the  extended  ridge  of  the  roof  of  a  house.  The  natural  in¬ 
equalities  of  the  ground  modified  no  doubt  the  contour  of 
the  landscape.  It  was  a  desolate  scene,  and,  as  I  looked 
upon  it,  I  was  reminded  of  poor  Selkirk’s  soliloquy  :  — 

“  0  solitude  !  where  are  the  charms 
That  sages  have  seen  in  thy  face  ? 

Better  dwell  in  the  midst  of  alarms 
Than  reign  in  this  horrible  place.” 

It  was  easy  to  imagine,  with  such  a  spectacle  before  me, 
what  the  effect  must  be  when  a  storm  of  wind,  such  as  often 
arises  in  the  desert,  has  put  such  sand-heaps  in  motion.  I 
could  credit  the  stories  which  are  related  of  entire  caravans 
(some  say  armies)  having  been  overwhelmed  and  destroyed 
by  the  drifting  sands  of  the  desert.  I  can  think  of  no  ex¬ 
pression  which  describes  my  feelings  at  the  moment  so 
exactly  as  the  graphic  delineation  in  Deuteronomy  32,  10 : 
it  was  verily  “  a  waste  howling  wilderness.” 

TERRORS  OF  THE  DESERT. 

The  Hebrews,  on  their  departure  from  Egypt,  wandered  for 
forty  years  in  the  region  between  that  country  and  Palestine. 
Their  experience  during  that  time  left  an  impression  on  tho 

4# 


42 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


national  mind  respecting  the  terrors  of  the  wilderness,  which 
was  never  effaced.  Their  vicinity  to  the  same  uncultivated, 
desolate  tracts,  after  their  settlement  in  the  promised  land, 
kept  up  their  familiarity  with  the  characteristics  of  the  desert. 
It  was  to  them  the  land  over  which  brooded  every  frightful 
evil ;  where  men  pined  with  hunger  and  thirst ;  where  the 
sun  smote  them  by  day,  and  the  cold  pained  them  by  night ; 
where  reptiles,  whose  sting  was  death,  nestled  among  the 
rocks  and  in  holes  of  the  earth  ;  where  sand-storms  bewildered 
and  overwhelmed  the  traveler ;  where  winds  swept  from  the 
south,  scattering  pestilence  and  destruction  in  their  way.  It 
is  not  surprising  that  the  Hebrew  imagination  had  recourse 
often  to  this  ample  store-house  for  terrific  imagery.  How 
forcible,  for  instance,  is  Jeremiah’s  appeal  to  his  countrymen 
when  he  would  reprove  them  for  forgetting  God’s  great 
deliverance  in  their  behalf! 

“ - Where  is  Jehovah, 

Who  brought  us  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt  — 
lie  who  led  us  through  the  'wilderness, 

Through  the  land  of  the  desert  and  pit-falls, 

Through  the  land  of  drought  and  the  shadow  of  death. 
Through  the  land  wherein  no  one  wanders, 

And  where  no  man  dwells?  ” 

The  Psalmist,  when  he  wTould  set  forth  the  punishment  of  the 
wicked,  says  (11,  6)  : 

“  He  shall  rain  upon  the  transgressors 

Snares,  fire  and  brimstone,  and  burning  blasts  ; 

- the  portion  of  their  cup.” 


SERPENTS  OF  THE  DESERT. 


43 


The  “  blasts  ”  refer  undoubtedly  to  the  Simum,  a  poison¬ 
ous  wind  which  occurs  in  the  desert ;  the  other  terms  may 
refer  to  the  overthrow  of  the  cities  of  the  plain. 

The  serpents  which  infested  the  Israelites  were  among  the 
evils  from  which  they  suffered.  In  “  that  great  and  terrible 
wilderness  were  fiery  serpents  and  scorpions,”  as  Moses 
reminds  them  in  his  last  instructions  (Deuteronomy  8,  15). 
They  still  abound  in  the  same  and  similar  places.  A  few 
weeks  later  than  the  time  of  my  journey  they  are  said  to 
be  so  numerous  as  to  expose  the  traveler  to  great  danger. 
It  requires  special  caution,  in  arranging  the  bed  at  night,  to 
guard  against  their  attacks.  One  day  we  saw  in  our  path  an 
asp,  a  foot  long,  coiled  up  in  the  attitude  of  springing ;  which 
the  Arabs  killed,  saying  that  it  was  exceedingly  venomous. 
A  few  hours  later  on  the  same  day,  in  turning  up  an  old 
garment  on  the  ground,  they  found  another  reptile,  of  a  dif¬ 
ferent  species,  but  also  malignant.  The  feet  and  legs,  not 
only  of  the  men,  but  of  the  animals  which  they  ride,  are  liable 
to  be  bitten  under*  such  circumstances.  We  see  the  force 
here  of  Jacob’s  language,  in  describing  the  subtle  charac¬ 
ter  of  the  tribe  of  Dan.  “  He  shall  be  a  serpent  in  the 
way,  an  adder  in  the  path,  that  biteth  the  horse’s  heels,  so 
that  his  rider  shall  fall  backward.”  (Genesis  49,  17.) 

Dr.  Shaw,  the  traveler,  says,  that,  in  the  desert  east  of  the 
Ked  Sea,  just  where  the  Israelites  encountered  this  plague, 
he  found  the  evil  still  unremoved.  “  Vipers,  especially  in  the 
wilderness  of  Sin  (Exodus  16,  1),  were  very  dangerous  and 
troublesome  ;  not  only  our  camels,  but  the  Aj-abs  who 


44 


SCRIFTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


attended  them,  running  every  moment  the  risk  of  being 
bitten.”* 

SKIN  AND  LEATHER  BOTTLES. 

The  use  of  skin  bottles  prevails  still  very  extensively  in 
all  parts  of  western  Asia ;  though  earthen  bottles  are  also 
common,  and  were  so  in  ancient  times,  as  we  know  both  from 
Scripture  and  from  explorations  in  Egypt  and  at  Nineveh.  I 
did  not  happen  to  notice  them  at  Alexandria,  where  I  entered 
on  my  oriental  wanderings  ;  but  at  Cairo  I  saw  them  at  almost 
every  turn  in  the  streets,  and  on  the  backs  of  the  water-car¬ 
riers  between  that  city  and  Bulak,  its  port  on  the.  Nile. 
After  that  I  met  with  them  constantly,  wherever  I  traveled, 
both  in  Egypt  and  Syria.  They  are  made  of  the  skins  of 
animals,  especially  of  the  goat,  and  in  various  forms.  They 
are  more  commonly  made  so  as  to  retain  the  figure  of  the 
animal  from  which  the  skin  is  taken.  The  process  is  said  to 
be  this :  they  cut  off  the  head  of  the  goat,  kid,  or  sheep,  as 
the  case  may  be,  and  then  strip  off  the  skin  whole  from  the 
body,  without  cutting  it  except  at  the  extremities.  The  neck 
constitutes  the  mouth  of  the  bottle;  and,  as  the  only  places 
that  need  to  be  sewed  up  are  where  the  feet  were  cut  off,  the 
skin,  when  distended  with  water,  has  precisely  the  appear¬ 
ance  or  form  of  the  animal  to  which  it  belonged.  That  bot¬ 
tles  of  this  shape  have  been  used  in  the  eastern  countries 
from  the  earliest  antiquity,  that  they  were  common  in  the 
days  of  the  patriarchs  and  the  Pharaohs,  I  had  an  interest- 

*  Travels  relating  to  pai*ts  of  Barbary  and  the  Levant,  &c.,  Yol.  II., 
p.  838  (1808). 


OLD  BOTTLES  INSECURE. 


45 


ing  proof  in  one  of  the  tombs  near  the  Ghizeh  pyramids. 
Among  the  figures  on  the  walls  I  saw  a  goat-shaped  bottle, 
as  exactly  like  those  now  seen  in  Cairo,  as  if  it  had  been 
painted  from  one  of  them  by  a  modem  artist.  It  was  not 
a  “  bottle,”  in  our  sense  of  the  word,  but  “  water-skin,” 
according  to  the  Hebrew,  which  Abraham  took  and  placed 
on  the  shoulder  of  Hagar,  when  he  sent  her  forth  into  the 
desert.  (Genesis  21,  14.) 

Bottles  are  also  made  of  leather,  dressed  for  the  purpose, 
and  are  of  various  sizes,  from  the  pouch  containing  two  or 
three  quarts,  which  the  traveler  may  sling  over  his  shoulder, 
to  the  ox-hide  in  which  caravans  preserve  their  supplies  of 
water  on  long  journeys,  when  they  meet  with  brooks  or  cis¬ 
terns  only  at  distant  intervals.  In  the  course  of  time  such 
vessels  become  rigid  and  brittle ;  and  hence  arose  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  putting  new  wine  into  new  bottles,  because  it  is  only 
while  they  are  fresh  and  flexible  that  they  can  withstand  the 
pressure  of  fermentation ;  on  the  contrary,  old  wine,  which 
is  past  that  process,  may  be  put  with  safety  into  old  bottles. 

ARTIFICE  OF  THE  GIBEONITES. 

When  these  bottles,  from  long-continued  use,  become  rent 
or  break  away,  they  are  sewed  up,  or  have  patches  put  on 
them ;  and,  as  the  result  of  such  repairs,  they  often  present 
an  exceedingly  ragged  and  piebald  appearance.  With  this 
fact  before  us,  we  can  understand  the  ruse  de  guerre  to 
which  the  Gibeonites  resorted  when  they  attempted  to  im¬ 
pose  themselves  on  Joshua  as  strangers  from  a  distant 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


country.  “  They  did  work  wilily,  and  went  and  made  as  if 
they  had  been  ambassadors;  and  took  old  sacks  upon  their 
asses,  and  wine-bottles  (properly  skins),  old  and  rent,  bound 
up ;  and  old  shoes  and  clouted  upon  their  feet,  and  old  gar¬ 
ments  upon  them,  and  all  the  bread  of  their  provision  was 
dry  and  mouldy ;  they  went  to  Joshua  at  Gilgal  ”  (but  a  few 
miles,  in  fact,  from  their  own  homes),  “  and  said  unto  him 
and  the  men  of  Israel,  We  be  come  from  a  far  country; 
now,  therefore,  make  ye  a  league  with  us.”  (Joshua  9,  4 — 6.) 

VALLEY  OF  DEATH-SHADE. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  Plain  of  Sharon,  and  beginning  to 
ascend  the  “  hill  country  of  Judea,”  we  entered  Wady  Aly, 
which  I  have  mentioned  before.  We  pursued  our  course 
here  for  some  time  along  the  dry  bottom  of  the  valley,  over 
which  a  torrent  flows  in  winter.  It  is  a  long,  deep  ravine, 
extremely  wild  and  dreary  on  both  sides.  It  is  sometimes 
so  narrow  as  scarcely  to  allow  the  traveler  to  pass  between 
the  rocky  walls  which  enclose  it.  In  some  places  these 
mount  up  so  high,  with  overhanging  crags,  and  are  so  thickly 
shaded  at  the  top  with  clumps  of  bushes,  as  to  spread  a 
gloom,  a  sort  of  twilight,  over  the  chasm  below.  It  was 
forcibly  suggested  to  me  that  it  may  have  been  David’s 
familiarity  with  such  scenes  that  led  him  to  employ  the 
expressive  imagery  in  the  fourth  verse  of  the  twenty-third 
Psalm  :  — 

“When  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  death-shade 
I  will  fear  no  evil  ; 

For  thou  art  with  me  ; 

Thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me.” 


MEANING  OE  DEATH-SHADE. 


47 


It  is  the  Great  Shepherd  whom  the  Psalmist  addresses  here, 
who  says  of  himself,  in  the  New  Testament,  “I  am  the  good 
shepherd;  the  good  shepherd  giveth  his  life  for  the  sheep. 
I  know  my  sheep,  and  am  known  of  mine.”  (John  10,  11. 
14.)  The  “rod  and  the  staff”  are  the  emblems  of  his  office, 
the  pledge  and  means  of  the  security  which  he  extends  to  his 
flock.  “  Valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,”  or  of  death-shade,  is 
an  orientalism,  denoting  a  gloomy  valley  ;  one  on  which  rests 
a  death-like  darkness.  It  is  meant  to  be  applied  here  to 
every  scene  of  tribulation  and  sorrow ;  not  to  death  alone, 
but  all  the  trials  of  life  through  which  mortals  are  called  to 
pass,  and  under  which  they  need  the  support  of  a  conscious¬ 
ness  of  the  divine  presence  and  favor. 

The  appearance  of  Wady  Aly  brought  to  mind  the  Psalm¬ 
ist’s  language  the  more  readily,  because  I  noticed,  here  and 
there  on  the  hill-sides,  flocks  of  goats  and  sheep,  feeding  on 
the  shrubbery,  or  wandering  from  place  to  place,  under  the  eye 
of  the  watchful  shepherd.  The  mountainous  parts  of  Palestine 
abound  in  such  ravines ;  and  it  is  only  in  a  country  marked 
by  that  peculiarity  that  the  expression  here  referred  to  could 
come  into  use.  Travelers  speak  of  a  similar  rent  between  the 
rocks  a  little  south  of  Carmel,  on  the  way  to  Jaffa,  which 
actually  bears  the  name  of  “  Valley  of  Death-shade.” 

I  find  that  Dr.  Wilson,  author  of  “  Lands  of  the  Bible,” 
was  led  to  record  a  similar  observation.  Of  the  grand  chasm, 
or  eastern  entrance  of  Petrea,  he  says,  “The  rocks  are  quite 
precipitous  on  each  side,  and  so  rough  and  rugged  and  near 
to  one  another  —  not  more  than  twelve  or  fourteen  feet  apart 


48 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


. —  that  they  seem  ready  to  collapse  and  crush  the  traveler 
Their  height  may  be  three  or  four  hundred  feet.  From  the 
limited  supply  of  light  from  above,  they  are  sombre  and 
gloomy  in  their  appearance,  even  when  the  sun  is  in  the 
meridian.  Some  similar  defile,  associated  with  the  super- 
added  terrors  of  beasts  of  prey,  ready  to  devour  the  feeble 
members  of  the  flock,  may  have  been  before  the  shepherd- 
king  of  Israel,  when  he  spoke  of  the  trials  and  dangers  of 
life,  under  the  figure  of  a  ‘valley  of  death-shade.’  ”* 

SALT  DESERTS. 

In  traversing  the  region  between  Egypt  and  Ghuzzeh,  the 
Gaza  of  the  Bible,  my  course,  during  most  of  the  forenoon 
.  of  the  twenty-third  of  March,  lay  through  a  succession  of 
basins  or  valleys,  where  the  surface  of  the  ground  was  moist, 
and  covered  with  a  thin  incrustation  of  salt.  It  was  so  slip¬ 
pery  here  that  the  camels  could  with  difficulty  keep  erect ; 
one  of  them  actually  fell  at  full  length,  with  a  groan  which 
it  was  piteous  to  hear.  We  were  not  far  at  this  time  from 
the  Mediterranean,  of  which  we  had  glimpses  now  and  then. 
It  is  quite  possible  that  a  strong  wind  from  the  west  causes 
the  sea  occasionally '  to  overflow  the  entire  tract,  and,  on 
its  receding,  the  water  left  in  the  low  places  evaporates,  and 
encrusts  the  earth  with  salt.  There  are  other  deserts,  or 
parts  of  deserts,  in  the  East,  as  travelers  inform  us,  which 
have  a  similar  peculiarity  ;  though  the  salt  may  be  formed  in 

*  Lands  of  the  Bible,  Vol.  i.,  p.  320. 


SEEBONIAN  BOG. 


49 


,  those  cases  in  a  different  manner.  Perhaps  the  most  remark¬ 
able  among  these  is  the  region  south  of  the  Dead  Sea. 

A  soil  of  this  nature  must,  of  course,  be  unproductive ; 
nothing  grows  there,  and  the  means  of  supporting  life  are 
wanting.  It  may  be  to  this  feature  of  an  eastern  desert, 

I 

aggravating  so  much  its  other  evils,  and  rendering  it  unfit  to 
be  the  abode  of  men,  that  the  prophet  Jeremiah  refers,  wThen 
he  says  of  the  ungodly  man,  “  He  shall  inhabit  the  parched 
places  of  the  wilderness,  in  a  salt  land,  and  not  inhabited.” 

(17,  G.) 

The  prophet  himself  may  have  traversed  this  very  region 
through  which  I  passed ;  though,  probably,  at  a  later  period 
than  that  of  his  uttering  the  declaration  quoted  above.  He 
was  one  of  the  Jewish  fugitives  who  repaired  to  Egypt  after 
the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  Nebuchadnezzar.  He  ap¬ 
pears  to  have  ended  his  days  in  that  country.  No  one  can, 
be  where  he  knows  that  such  men  have  been  before  him,  and 
not  feel  that  a  new  tie  of  interest  has  been  formed  between 
himself  and  them. 

About  this  time  we  had  a  view  on  the  right  of  the  range  of 
hills  which  the  ancients  called  Mount  Casius.  On  the  left  we 
saw  between  us  and  the  Mediterranean  an  extensive  pool  of 
sea-water,  which  I  suppose  to  have  been  the  famous  “  Serbo- 
nian  bog,”  believed  to  have  been,  from  the  treacherous  nature 
of  the  ground,  the  occasion  of  so  many  disasters.  It  would 
seem  that  the  wind,  at  times,  drives  the  sand  into  this  pond, 
converting  it  into  a  sort  of  morass.  Milton  has  made  both 
these  names  familiar  to  English  ears  .* 

5 


50 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


“  A  lake  profound  as  that  Serbonian  bog 
Betwixt  Damietta  and  Mount  Casius  old, 

Where  armies  whole  have  sunk.” 

But  these  and  such  other  natural  objects  as  occur  on  this 
line  of  travel  have  more  than  a  classical  interest,  because 
along  here  lay  the  footsteps  of  the  patriarchs,  Abraham. 
Jacob,  Joseph  and  others,  and,  in  all  probability,  of  the 
parents  of  the  Saviour  at  the  time  of  the  flight  into  Egypt. 
It  is  the  shortest  road  between  that  country  and  Palestine,  and 
the  one,  therefore,  of  which  we  are  generally  to  think  when 
we  read  in  the  Bible  that  persons  went  down  into  Egypt,  or 
came  up  thence  to  the  promised  land.  The  distance  from 
the  vicinity  of  Cairo,  where  the  Pharaohs  lived  and  reigned, 
to  Graza,  at  the  entrance  into  Judea,  is  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  miles.  The  thought  was  ever  with  me,  as  a  sort 
of  personal  presence,  that,  here  and  there  where  my  tent  was 
set  up,  some  of  those  who  are  held  forth  as  examples  of  the 
faith  that  we  should  follow,  may  have  rested  in  their  jour¬ 
neys,  “  built  an  altar,  and  called  on  the  name  of  the  Lord.” 
Hence,  I  have  endeavored  in  the  preceding  sketches  to  pre¬ 
sent  as  many  particulars  as  possible,  in  connection  with  the 
Scripture  passages,  that  seemed  adapted  to  assist  the  reader 
to  understand  what  a  person  may  see  or  experience  on  such 
a  journey. 

SHADOW  OF  A  ROCK. 

The  simplest  customs  which  illustrate  the  Bible  have  an 
interest,  when  seen  in  the  home  of  the  Bible,  which  none 
but  the  traveler,  perhaps,  can  fully  appreciate.  I  can  hardly 


THE  BEST  SHADE. 


51 


describe  the  pleasure  which  I  felt  when  I  first  saw  a  com¬ 
pany  of  men  and  boys  reclining  at  noonday  “  in  the  shadow 
of  a  rock.”  This  happened  as  I  was  going  from  Jerusalem 
to  Jericho — a  region  so  wild  and  desolate  that  it  might  be 
called  emphatically  “a  dreary  land.”  See  Isaiah  32,  2.  In 
many  places  the  want  of  trees  renders  the  shelter  of  a  rock 
the  only  refuge  which  a  person  can  find  from  the  scorching 
heat ;  and  even  when  trees  are  at  hand  the  rock  affords  the 
better  protection,  because  it  excludes  so  much  more  effectu¬ 
ally  the  rays  of  the  sun.  After  this  first  instance  I  became 
quite  familiar  with  the  sight  in  question.  I  was  often  glad 
myself,  when  fatigued  with  hard  riding,  and  oppressed  with 
heat,  to  dismount  and  rest  for  a  while  in  the  cooling  shade 
of  an  overhanging  rock.  No  one  who  has  traveled  in  the 
Orient  can  fail  to  bear  witness  to  the  value  of  such  a  refuge, 


or  to  recollect  with  pleasure  how  often  he  has  availed  him¬ 
self  of  it. 


ARABS  TRAVELING. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MANNERS  AND  CUSTOMS. 

The  illustrations  in  this  chapter  are  founded  chiefly  on 
the  domestic,  social  and  religious,  usages  of  the  East.  The 
present  inhabitants,  it  is  true,  are  not,  with  a  very  inconsid¬ 
erable  exception,  the  Jewish  race  who  occupied  the  country 
in  the  times  of  the  Bible ;  but  they  belong  to  the  same  gen¬ 
eral  stock ;  they  have  a  similar  form  of  civilization,  and,  in 
part,  the  same  religious  opinions  and  traditions ;  they  follow 
the  same  occupations,  agricultural  and  pastoral,  and  live 
under  the  same  external  or  physical  influences  of  climate 
and  scenery,  which  control  to  so  great  an  extent  the  habits 
of  a  people.  We  should  expect,  therefore,  to  find  a  marked 
resemblance  between  the  modern  and  the  ancient  customs  of 
the  country,  and  to  be  able  to  gather  up  from  this  source 
important  helps  for  enabling  us  to  draw  out  in  our  minds  a 
living  picture  of  Jewish  life  in  former  ages.  This  presump¬ 
tion  is  both  natural  and  accordant  with  the  results  of  obser¬ 
vation.  The  manner  in  which  the  existing  customs  of  the 
East  agree  with  those  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  shows, 
with  demonstrative  certainty,  that  they  are  the  same,  and 
have  been  stereotyped  from  age  to  age ;  that  they  represent 


OLD  CUSTOMS  RETAINED. 


53 


a  similar  style  of  manners,  arts,  domestic  arrangements,  and 
may  be  used  with  confidence  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  up 
obscurities  in  the  Bible,  and  conducting  us  to  a  better  insight 
into  Hebrew  antiquity. 

Such  examples  of  this  agreement  as  I  may  be  able  to  offer 
must  be  expected  to  lie  very  much  on  the  surface  ;  for  a 
longer  continuance  abroad,  and  a  closer  association  with  the 
people,  would  be  necessary  to  bring  to  light  anything  of  very 
great  novelty.  Undoubtedly,  after  all  that  the  industry  of 
travelers  and  scholars  has  accomplished,  much  remains  still 
to  be  done  in  this  field  of  study.  If  a  person  possessed  of 
the  proper  biblical  information  should  devote  himself  to  this 
particular  object,  and  mingle  with  the  natives,  like  Seetzen 
or  Burckhardt,  he  would  be  able  to  perform  a  service  for 
the  cause  of  sacred  learning,  which  would  give  him  an  hon¬ 
orable  place  among  its  promoters. 


&NOW  FOR  COOLING  DRINKS. 

At  Damascus  I  found  that  snow,  procured  from  the  neigh¬ 
boring  mountains  of  Anti-Lebanon,  is  kept  for  sale  in  the 
bazaars.  The  people  are  accustomed  to  mix  it  with  water, 
with  the  juice  of  pomegranates,  with  sherbet  and  other 
drinks,  for  the  sake  of  having  a  cooler  beverage.  I  can 
testify  that  the  use  of  such  a  mixture,  in  a  hot  day,  is  both 
agreeable  and  refreshing.  “  In  the  heat  of  the  day,”  says 
Dr.  Wilson,*  “the  Jews  at  Hasbeia,  in  northern  Galilee, 

*  Lands  of  the  Bible,  Vol.  11.,  p.  186. 

5* 


54 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


offered  us  water  cooled  with  snow  from  Jebel  esh -Sheikh,” 
the  modern  name  of  Mount  Hermon. 

In  the  valleys  on  the  sides  of  Sannin,  commonly  reckoned 
the  highest  peak  of  Lebanon,  snow  remains  during  all  the 
year.  “  Countless  loads  of  it,”  says  Dr.  Schulz,*  “  are 
brought  down  on  the  backs  of  mules  to  Beirut,  and  used  there 
to  freshen  in  some  measure  the  water,  otherwise  hardly  fit  to 
drink.”  Nor  is  the  use  of  the  article  confined,  by  any 
means,  to  the  vicinity  of  the  mountains  where  the  snow  falls. 
Yolney  t  quotes  an  x\rabic  writer  as  saying  that  cargoes  of 
snow,  “  obtained  at  Damascus,  used,  at  one  period,  to  be 
shipped  at  Beirut  and  Sidon  for  Bamietta,  where  they  were 
taken  into  boats  and  carried  up  the  Nile  to  Cairo,  to  be 
lodged  in  cisterns  for  future  use.  Afterwards,  the  other 
mode  of  transportation  having  been  discontinued,  the  snow 
was  carried  by  land  from  Syria  to  Egypt ;  and  so  great  was 
the  traffic  that  hardly  a  day  passed  when  a  caravan  was  not 
despatched  on  this  business.”  I 

In  this  practice  of  the  East,  not  unknown  among  the 
Greeks  and  Bomans,  of  mingling  snow  with  their  drinks,  we 
have  an  obvious  explanation  of  a  passage  which  has  per¬ 
plexed  many  a  reader  of  the  English  Scriptures.  I  refer  to 
Proverbs  25,  13  :  “  As  the  cold  of  snow  in  the  time  of  har¬ 
vest,  so  is  a  faithful  messenger  to  them  that  send  him  ;  for 

*  Jerusalem  —  Eine  Vorlesung,  p.  10  (1845). 

t  Voyage  en  Egypte  et  en  Syne,  p.  262. 

t  During  the  winter  that  I  was  at  Alexandria,  ice  was  sold  in  the 
bazaars,  imported  from  the  vicinity  of  Boston. 


WELEES  IN  THE  EAST. 


55 


he  refresheth  the  soul  of  his  master.”  The  time  of  harvest 
varies  somewhat  in  different  parts  of  the  holy  land ;  but  it 
falls  generally  within  the  months  of  April  and  May.  The 
heat  is  then  felt  most  oppressively,  owing  both  to  the  season 
of  the  year  and  to  the  labor  which  the  husbandman  has  to 
perform.  The  comparison,  therefore,  is  a  very  expressive 
one.  The  prompt  return  of  the  messenger  with  good  tidings, 
relieving  the  minds  of  those  who  are  waiting  in  suspense, 
cheers  and  refreshes  their  spirits  like  a  cooling  draught  in 
the  heat  of  summer. 

WHITED  SEPULCHRES. 

Among  the  novelties  which  engage  the  stranger’s  attention, 
on  his  arriving  in  Egypt  and  Syria,  is  the  frequent  appear¬ 
ance  of  the  Melee,  the  name  given  to  the  tombs  of  those 
revered  among  the  Mohammedans  as  great  saints.  The  term 
signifies  properly  “  a  favorite  of  Heaven,”  but  by  an  exten¬ 
sion  of  meaning  denotes  also  the  place  where  persons  of  this 
class  are  buried.  Most  of  the  Welees  are  built  over  the 
graves  of  those  to  whom  they  are  consecrated.  A  few  of 
them,  as  Mr.  Lane  informs  us,*  contain  only  some  inconsid¬ 
erable  relic  of  those  whose  names  they  bear,  while  a  few 
,  are  mere  cenotaphs.  The  Welee  consists  usually  of  a  stone 
or  brick  edifice,  with  a  dome  or  cupola  over  it,  varying  in 
height  from  eight  to  ten  feet,  and  containing  often  a*mat  and 
a  jar  of  water,  for  the  convenience  of  such  as  may  choose 

*  Manners  and  Customs  of  the  Modern  Egyptians,  Vol.  i.,  p.  324 
(1849). 


56 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


to  stop  and  perform  their  devotions.  To  adapt  it  to  its  use 
as  a  chapel  still  more  perfectly,  a  slight  recess  or  depression 
appears  usually  in  the  face  of  one  of  the  interior  walls 
(called  the  Mihrab),  indicating  the  direction  of  Mecca,  to¬ 
ward  which  the  worshipper  turns  in  offering  his  prayers. 
The  Mohammedans  build  these  tombs  in  honor  of  those  who 
are  held  in  repute  for  the  supposed  sanctity  of  their  lives, 
and  often  bestow  much  labor  and  expense  on  them,  for  the 
purpose  of  adorning  them  and  keeping  them  in  repair.  They 
stand  commonly  by  the  road-side,  or  on  some  eminence  where 
they  can  be  seen  far  and  wide.  Being  covered  with  stucco 
or  whitewashed,  and  occupying  such  conspicuous  positions, 
they  thrust  themselves  on  the  traveler’s  attention  continually 
and  everywhere. 

It  was  a  similar  feeling,  doubtless,  which  led  the  Jews  to 
erect  monuments  in  honor  of  their  prophets  and  holy  men, 
and  to  regard  it,  in  like  manner,  as  an  act  of  merit  both  to 
build  these  monuments  in  the  first  instance,  and  afterward 
to  garnish  and  preserve  them  from  decay.  In  Matthew  23, 
29.  30,  the  Saviour  reproaches  the  scribes  and  Pharisees 
with  their  hypocrisy,  inasmuch  as  they  professed  to  honor 
the  memory  of  the  prophets  in  this  ostentatious  manner, 
while  they  cast  practically  so  much  contempt  on  their  doc¬ 
trines.  “  Woe  unto  you,”  he  says,  “  because  ye  build  the 
tombs  of  the  prophets  and  garnish  the  sepulchres  of  the 
righteous,  and  say,  if  we  had  lived  in  the  time  of  our  fathers 
we  would  not  have  been  partakers  with  them  in  the  blood  of 
the  prophets.”  Again,  in  Matthew  23,  27,  he  says,  with 


NAMES  OF  WELEES. 


57 


reference  to  the  appearance  of  the  tombs,  as  contrasted  with 
the  use  to  which  they  were  applied  :  “  Woe  unto  you,  scribes 
and  Pharisees,  hypocrites;  for  ye  are  like  unto  whited 
sepulchres,  which  indeed  appear  beautiful  outward,  but 
within  are  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  of  all  uncleanness.” 

I  may  add  that  many  of  these  Welees  or  tombs  in  Pales¬ 
tine  are  still  called  after  the  names  of  the  patriarchs  and 
prophets  of  the  Old  Testament.  I  either  saw  or  heard  of 
tombs  of  this  description  consecrated  to  Abel,  Noah,  Abra¬ 
ham,  Moses,  Aaron,  Ishmael,  Joseph,  Seth,  Samuel,  David, 
Jonah,  Zechariah  and  others.  The  Jews  share  with  the 
Mohammedans  in  their  veneration  for  many  of  these  sepul¬ 
chres,  and  make  pilgrimages  to  them  as  to  holy  places. 

MODE  OF  CARRYING  CHILDREN. 

Women,  both  in  Egypt  and  Syria,  when  abroad  for  recrea¬ 
tion  or  traveling,  place  young  children  astride  of  their 
shoulders,  and  carry  them  in  that  way.  It  looks,  to  those 
not  familiar  with  the  sight,  as  if  the  poor  things  would 
tumble  every  moment  from  their  lofty  seat.  Though  left 
very  much  to  take  care  of  themselves,  they  contrive,  by  a 
dexterous  use  of  their  feet  and  by  clinging  to  the  heads  of 
those  who  support  them,  to  keep  their  place,  even  when 
tossed  up  and  down  on  the  back  of  a  horse  or  camel.  We 
have  an  allusion  to  this  mode  of  carrying  children  in  Isaiah 
49,  22:  “They  shall  bring  their  sons  in  their  arms;  and 
their  daughters  shall  be  carried  upon  their  shoulders.”  The 
sons  are  said  to  be  carried  in  one  way,  and  the  daughters  in 


58 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


another,  for  the  sake  merely  of  varying  the  expression. 
Both  modes  were  practised. 

DIVAN. 

Divan  is  the  name  given  to  the  room,  or  part  of  a  room, 
in  an  eastern  house  where  the  people  sleep,  sit,  entertain  their 
friends,  or  transact  business.  The  apartment  devoted  to  this 
use  has  a  higher  and  a  lower  floor ;  it  being  necessary  to  pass 
from  one  to  the  other  by  an  ascent  more  or  less  elevated. 
The  lower  floor,  iu  the  better  houses,  is  paved  often  with  rich 
mosaic,  while  the  higher  part,  used  for  reclining,  is  spread 
with  a  mat  or  carpet,  and  furnished  with  bolsters,  cushions, 
ottomans  and  the  like,  for  the  convenience  of  the  company. 
In  the  poorer  houses,  there  is  little,  aside  from  the  raised  floor 
or  platform,  to  indicate  the  object  of  the  room  ;  the  furniture 
consists  merely  of  a  common  mattress  or  blanket. 

I  lodged  a  night  in  an  Arab  house  at  Seleh,*  on  the  moun- 

*  This  place  has  rarely  been  visited  or  even  named  by  travelers. 
It  was  a  mistake  of  the  guide  which  caused  us  to  stumble  upon  it.  The 
following  notice  from  my  journal  may  not  be  amiss  here.  The  house 
where  we  lodged  was  on  the  brow  of  a  hill  ;  the  bulk  of  the  town  was 
further  down  the  declivity.  It  lay  on  a  tongue  or  projection  of  the  moun¬ 
tain,  stretching  towards  the  south-west.  A  Wady  on  the  east  side  swept 
around  its  southern  extremity,  into  which  fell  another  valley  or  ravine 
on  the  west  side  that  came  down  from  the  north.  The  village  con¬ 
sisted  of  some  fifty  houses,  built  of  stone,  one  story  high,  all  of  them 
very  neat  and  compactly  arranged.  Other  heights, verdant  with  fruit- 
trees  and  with  grain,  stood  around  it  on  two  sides.  It  appeared  ex¬ 
ceedingly  picturesque  as  we  descended  to  it,  just  as  the  shades  of  night 


JEWISH  HOUSES. 


59 


tains  near  Samaria,  where  I  had  the  divan  allotted  to  my  use. 
The  elevated  seat  extended  across  the  room,  plentifully  sup¬ 
plied  with  blankets  such,  as  they  were.  In  the  course  of  the 
evening  the  villagers,  with  their  sheikh  or  chief  man  among 
them,  came  to  gaze  at  the  strangers  ;  they  ascended  the  plat¬ 
form  and  sat  down  cross-legged  on  the  part  next  to  the  side- 
wall;  while,  out  of  regard  to  our  character  as  guests,  my  trav¬ 
eling  companions  and  myself  sat  at  the  end  of  the  room,  held 
to  be  the  more  honorable  place.  At  Damascus,  I  visited  the 
houses  of  several  wealthy  Jews.  The  rooms  in  them  fitted 
up  with  most  splendor  were  the  divans.  The  frescoed  walls, 
the  carpets,  cushions,  ottomans  and  similar  appurtenances, 
gave  to  them  an  air  of  luxury  oriental  and  gorgeous  in  the 
extreme.  In  one  instance,  at  least,  the.  seat  for  reclining  was 
so  much  higher  than  the  floor  that  it  was  necessary  to  mount 
to  it  by  two  or  three  steps. 

In  the  language  of  the  Bible,  the  terms  couch,  bed,  canopy, 
divan,  are  not  always  distinguished  clearly  from  each  other. 
The  divan  is  intended  without  doubt  in  2  Kings  1,  4,  where 
it  is  said  to  Ahaziah  :  “  Thus  saith  the  Lord,  Thou  shalt  not 
come  down  from  that  bed  on  which  thou  art  gone  up,  but 
shalt  surely  die.”  The  ascent,  in  this  case,  would  refer  to  the 
elevation  of  the  divan  above  the  floor.  The  inequality  would 
be  likely  to  be  greater  in  a  palace  than  in  ordinary  houses, 
because  the  arrangement  was  intended,  no  doubt,  to  mark  the 

were  falling  upon  it.  When  we  departed  the  next  morning,  a  heavy 
mist  hung  over  the  place,  and  left  but  a  dim  outline  of  surrounding 
objects  visible. 


60 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


difference  in  rank  between  those  waited  on,  and  those  who 
served  ;  the  latter  being  required  to  stand  on  the  lower  floor 
below  their  masters.  The  divan  may  be  meant,  also,  in  2 
Kings  21,  2,  where  it  is  said  of  Hezekiah  that,  as  he  lay  in 
his  bed,  “  he  turned  his  face  unto  the  wall  and  prayed  unto 
the  Lord.”  His  object  was  to  avoid  the  observation  of 
those  present  while  he  prayed ;  and  hence,  reclining  as  he 
was  at  the  time  on  his  divan,  which  was  contiguous  to  the 
wall,  he  naturally  turned  his  face  in  that  direction.  The 
language  of  David,  in  Psalm  132,  4,  “  I  will  not  go  up  unto 
my  bed,”  may  have  the  same  reference. 

THE  PLACE  OF  HONOR. 

The  place  of  honor  on  the  divan,  as  I  have  stated,  is  the 
corner,  in  distinction  from  the  sides,  of  the  room.  “  We  were 
received  into  a  long  hall,”  says  Mr.  Bonar,  speaking  of  his 
reception  in  a  native  family  at  Damietta,  “  with  a  stone 
floor,  and  a  broad  divan  at  the  back  end.  In  one  corner, 
which  is  the  place  of  state,  we  found  the  vice-consul,  a  smart¬ 
looking  Egyptian,  in  a  Greek  dress  of  dark  green,  with  yellow 
slippers.  He  received  us  very  graciously  and  made  us  sit 
beside  him  on  the  divan.”* 

The  obscure  passage  in  Amos  3,  12,  receives  illustration 
from  this  usage  with  respect  to  the  dignity  of  the  corner  seat. 
“  As  the  shepherd  taketh  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  lion  two 
legs  or  a  piece  of  an  ear,  so  shall  the  people  of  Israel  be 

*  Narrative  of  a  Mission  of  Inquiry  to  the  Jews,  p.  GG  (1852). 


STREETS  OF  CAIRO. 


61 


taken  out  that  dwell  in  Samaria,  in  the  corner  of  a  bed  (or 
divan),  and  on  a  couch  of  damask.”  I  render  the  last  clause 
in  this  way  and  differently  from  the  English  version  because 
the  original  requires  it.  The  meaning  is,  that,  of  the  proud, 
self-indulgent  inhabitants  of  Samaria,  a  miserable  remnant 
only  should  escape  the  approaching  destruction  of  the  city, 
and  these  should  be  rescued  only  with  the  utmost  difficulty 
and  danger.  A  divan  which  I  saw  in  the  palace  of  the  late 
Mahommed  Ali,  at  Alexandria,  furnishes  an  apt  commentary 
on  this  verse.  It  was  arranged  after  the  oriental  fashion, 
along  the  entire  side  of  the  room.  It  was  capable  of  seating  a 
great  number  of  persons.  A  covering  of  the  richest  damask 
silk  was  spread  over  it,  and  hung  in  folds  over  the  outward 
edge ;  while  the  magnificent  cushions,  adorned  with  threads 
of  gold  at  the  corners,  distinguished  those  places  above  the 
others  as  the  seats  of  special  honor. 

STREETS  OR  BAZAARS. 

The  streets  in  eastern  cities  are  generally  distinguished 
from  each  other,  not  by  the  separate  names  which  they  bear, 
but  by  the  sort  of  traffic  or  business  carried  on  in  them.  The 
different  branches  of  trade,  instead  of  being  intermixed  as 
with  us,  are  usually  assigned  to  a  distinct  locality.  Thus,  at 
Cairo,  the  principal  streets  have  a  row  of  shops  on  each  side 
of  them ;  each  of  these  streets,  or  a  part  of  each,  is  devoted 
to  a  particular  branch  of  commerce,  and  is  known  as  “the 
market”  of  the  article  sold  or  manufactured  there.  Hence 
wo  hear  of  the  market  of  the  butchers,  of  the  fruiterers,  the 

6 


62 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


copper-ware  sellers,  the  jewelers,  and  so  on.  The  same  thing 
is  true  of  other  places,  as  Damascus,  Beirut,  Constantinople, 
Smyrna.  One  of  the  most  interesting  sights  that  I  saw  at 
Damascus  was  the  great  bazaar  of  the  Armenian  jewelers., 
where  the  clank  of  the  hammers  and  the  blast  of  the  furnaces 
reminded  me  of  a  factory  in  our  own  land.  All  those  who 
follow  this  business  have  their  work-stands  under  the  same 
roof. 

Here,  too,  we  have  a  usage  of  the  past  perpetuated  to  the 
present  time.  Jerusalem  was  parceled  out,  in  like  manner, 
among  its  artisans  and  tradesmen.  We  read  that  Jeremiah, 
during  his  imprisonment  by  order  of  Zedekiah,  received  “  daily 
a  portion  of  bread  out  of  the  bakers’  street.”  (Jeremiah  37, 
21.)  That  a  close  connection  existed  between  those  of  the 
same  craft  we  learn  incidentally  from  Nehemiah  3,  32.  In 
rebuilding  the  holy  city,  after  the  exile,  “  the  goldsmiths  and 
the  merchants  ”  acted  together  in  repairing  a  portiomof  the 
walls.  Josephus  calls  the  valley  between  Mount  Zion  and 
Mount  Moriah  the  Tyropceon,  that  is,  the  valley  of  the 
cheese-mongers.  He  mentions  also  a  street  of  the  meat- 
dealers. 


EASTERN  MERCHANTS. 

The  passage  in  James  4,  13,  derives  its  meaning  in  part 
from  a  mode  of  conducting  business  in  the  East  which  differs 
from  the  ordinary  modes  of  traffic  among  us.  Bebuking  those 
who  cherish  the  too  confident  hope  of  life,  in  their  eager  pur¬ 
suit  of  wealth,  the  apostle  says:  “Go  to  now,  ye  that  say, 


THE  APOSTLE’S  LANGUAGE  CORRECT.  63 

To-day  or  to-morrow  we  will  go  into  such  a  city,  and  continue 
there  a  year,  and  buy  and  sell  and  get  gain  ;  whereas  ye 
know  not  what  shall  be  on  the  morrow.”  This  language 
intimates  a  different  course,  as  the  one  to  be  adopted  for  amass¬ 
ing  wealth,  from  that  which  our  habits  prescribe  as  conducive 
to  success.  A  rambling  life  here  is  apt  to  be  an  unthrifty 
one.  Instead  of  a  temporary  traffic  here  and  there,  with 
its  petty  gains,  those  who  would  rise  to  opulence  among 
us  are  expected  to  have  some  business,  which  they  pursue 
with  constancy  both  as  to  time  and  place.  This  is  the 
general  rule.  We  have  no  such  customs  as  make  it  natural 
to  speak  of  going  to  a  city  and  abiding  there  a  year  for  the 
purpose  of  trade,  and  then  wandering  to  another  city,  and 
still  another,  as  descriptive  of  the  course  which  men  take  in 
order  to  become  rich. 

The  apostle’s  exhortation,  on  the  contrary,  reminded  those  to 
whom  he  wrote  of  a  well-known  fact  in  commercial  life.  They 
saw  at  once  the  pertinence  of  the  illustration,  though  lost  in 
a  measure  to  us  unless  it  be  explained.  Many  of  those 
who  display  their  goods  in  the  eastern  bazaars  are  traveling 
merchants.  They  come  from  other  cities,  and  after  having 
disposed  of  their  stock  in  trade,  either  for  money  or  other 
commodities,  proceed  to  another  city,  where  they  set  up  in 
business  again.  They  supply  themselves  in  every  instance 
with  the  merchandise  best  suited  to  a  particular  market ; 
and  thus,  after  repeated  peregrinations,  if  successful  in  their 
adventures,  they  acquire  a  competence,  and  return  home  to 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  it.  The  process,  therefore,  agrees  pre- 


64 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


cisely  with  the  apostle’s  representation  :  the  way  to  become 
rich  was  to  go  into  this  or  that  city,  and  sojourn  for  a  while 
and  trade,  and  then  depart  to  another  city. 

THE  RIGHTS  OF  HOSPITALITY. 

A  regard  for  the  rights  of  hospitality  still  distinguishes 
the  natives  of  the  East.  A  stranger  cast  by  any  accident 
upon  their  kindness  seldom  has  occasion  to  complain  of 
cruelty  or  neglect ;  he  may  expect,  if  he  approaches  them  in 
a  proper  manner,  to  receive  freely  such  civilities  as  their 
simple  mode  of  life  may  enable  them  to  extend  to  him. 
Having  lost  our  way,  after  leaving  Samaria  at  a  late  hour  in 
the  afternoon,  and  being  overtaken  by  night,  without  our 
tents,  which  had  been  sent  forward  in  another  direction,  we 
were  obliged  to  seek  shelter  in  an  Arab  village  among  the 
mountains.  I  inquired  of  the  guide,  when  the  necessity  of  this 
course  was  stated,  whether  we  could  expect  a  favorable 
reception,  especially  as  it  was  a  part  of  the  country  where 
foreigners  are  seldom  seen.  Of  that  he  assured  us  we 
need  have  no  doubt ;  for  every  village,  said  he,  has  a  house 
appropriated  to  the  use  of  strangers  ;  an  understanding  exists 
that  some  particular  family  shall  always  be  ready  to  re¬ 
ceive  them  under  their  roof.  We  were  not  disappointed.  On 
reaching  the  place,  the  guide  inquired  of  the  first  man  that 
we  met,  for  the  Menzel  (the  name  of  the  stranger’s  house) ; 
the  villager  went  forward  at  once  and  showed  us  the  way 
thither.  No  hesitation  or  parleying  ensued.  The  gate  of 
the  court  was  thrown  open,  we  entered,  were  established  in 


JAMES  AND  JOHN  INDIGNANT. 


65 


the  best  room  which  the  house  afforded,  and  supplied  with 
milk  and  bread,  all  that  we  asked  for  or  needed.  No  com¬ 
pensation  or  present  is  expected  in  such  cases. 

Other  travelers  bear  testimony  to  this  trait  of  the  oriental 
character.  Dr.  Shaw,  who  traveled  so  extensively  in  northern 
Africa  and  Asia,  says  :  “  In  most  of  the  inland  towns  and 
villages  is  a  house  set  apart  for  the  reception  of  strangers, 
with  a  proper  officer  to  attend  to  them ;  there  they  are  lodged 
and  entertained,  for  one  night,  at  the  expense  of  the  commu¬ 
nity.”  #  In  the  Hauran,  east  of  the  Jordan,  says  Mr. 
Elliott,  f  “  a  Syrian  never  thinks  it  necessary  to  carry  with 
him  on  a  journey  any  money  for  food  or  lodging,  as  he  is  sure 
to  be  supplied  without  it.  Our  money  was  sometimes  refused, 
and  never  asked  for ;  nor  can  there  be  a  doubt  that  we 
should  have  been  received  and  welcomed  in  almost  every 
house  of  the  Hauran.”  J 

There  is  an  incident  in  the  life  of  the  Saviour  which  con¬ 
nects  itself  with  this  usage.  In  one  of  his  journeys  to  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  in  passing  through  Samaria,  he  sent  messengers,  towards 
the  close  of  the  day,  no  doubt,  into  a  certain  village  to  pre¬ 
pare  a  night’s  lodging ;  the  people,  offended  because  he  was 
going  to  Jerusalem,  whereas  they  held  Gerizim  to  be  the 
proper  place  of  worship,  refused  to  receive  him.  This  treat- 

*  Travels  in  Barbary  and  the  Levant,  Preface,  p.  xiii. 
t  Travels  in  the  Three  Great  Empires,  &c.,  Vol.  n.,  p.  33 L 
t  The  right  in  question  entitles  the  traveler  to  entertainment  over 
night,  but  does  not  secure  him  from  violence  or  robbery  after  having 
left  the  roof  which  sheltered  him. 

6* 


66 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


ment  was  not  only  an  incivility,  but  a  violation  of  the  rights 
of  hospitality.  The  Saviour  and  his  friends,  according  to  the 
Tecognized  laws  of  oriental  civilization,  had  *a  claim  to  be 
entertained  in  some  house  in  that  village.  It  was  this  view 
of  the  outrage,  unquestionably,  which  excited  such  fierce  in¬ 
dignation  in  two  of  the  disciples,  James  and  John.  They 
asked  if  they  should  not  command  fire  to  come  down  from 
heaven  and  consume  the  inhospitable  Samaritans.  I  must 
quote,  also,  the  reply  of  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake. 
u  He  turned  and  rebuked  them,  and  said,  Ye  know  not  what 
manner  of  spirit  ye  are  of.  For  the  Son  of  man  is  not  come 
to  destroy  men’s  lives,  but  to  save  them.”  See  Luke  9, 
51,  sq. 

TAKING  OFF  THE  SHOES. 

Moses,  when  he  saw  the  burning  bush  in  which  Jehovah 
appeared  to  him,  was  directed  to  put  off  his  shoes  from 
his  feet,  because  the  ground  on  which  he  stood  was  holy, 
(Exodus  3,  3,  and  Acts  7,  32,  33.)  This  mark  of  respect 
was  regarded  as  due  to  a  superior ;  since  to  appear  before  him, 
wearing  shoes  or  sandals,  was  to  be  guilty  of  the  indecorum 
of  approaching  him  with  the  feet  soiled  with  the  dust  which 
would  otherwise  cleave  to  them.  On  the  same  principle  the 
Jewish  priests  officiated  barefoot  in  the  tabernacle  and  in  the 
temple.  The  same  custom,  growing  out  of  the  same  feeling, 
is  observed  among  the  eastern  nations  at  the  present  day. 
The  Arabs  and  Turks  never  enter  the  mosques  without  put¬ 
ting  off  their  shoes.  .  They  exact  a  compliance  with  this  rule 


UNCOVERING  THE  HEAT'. 


67 


from  foreigners  who  visit  these  sacred  places.  Though, 
within  a  period  not  very  distant,  the  Mahommedans  excluded 
Christians  entirely  from  the  mosques,  they  now  allow  them  to 
enter  some  of  them,  provided  they  leave  their  shoes  at  the 
door,  or  exchange  them  for  others  which  have  not  been  defiled 
by  common  use. 

A  Samaritan  from  Nablus,  who  conducted  Messrs.  Robin¬ 
son  and  Smith  to  the  summit  of  Gerizim,  when  he  came  within 
a  certain  distance  of  the  spot,  took  off  his  shoes,  saying  it 
was  unlawful  for  his -people  to  tread  with  shoes  upon  this 
ground,  it  being  holy.  *  The  Mahommedans  regard  Jerusa- 

t 

lem  as  one  of  their  holy  places ;  and  for  a  long  time  they 
required  Christians,  who  would  enter  the  city,  to  do  so  with 
naked  feet.  Many  of  the  eastern  pilgrims  do  this,  at  present 
as  a  voluntary  act.  It  happens  not  seldom  that  European 
travelers,  borne  away  by  their  feelings  at  the  moment,  un¬ 
cover  their  heads  as  they  enter  the  gates. 

HOUSES  ON  THE  CITY  WALLS. 

In  Acts  9,  24.  25,  we  read  that  the  Jews  at  Damascus 
sought  to  kill  Paul,  and  “watched  the  gates  day  and  night” 
for  that  purpose ;  but  “  the  disciples  took  him  by  night  and 
let  him  down  through  the  wall  in  a  basket.”  But  in  2 
Corinthians  11,  33,  the  apostle  says,  with  reference  to  the 
same  escape,  that  “  he  was  let  down  in  a  basket  through  a 
window  through  the  wall.”  Now,  how  do  these  different 

*  Biblical  Researches,  Vol.  m.,  p.  100. 


68 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


expressions  stand  related  to  each  other  ?  The  common  view 
is  that  the  house  where  Paul  was  secreted  was  built  on  the 
wall  of  the  city,  with  a  window  projecting  over  it ;  and  hence 
it  could  be  said,  according  to  Luke’s  narrative  in  the  Acts, 
that  Paul  was  “  let  down  through  the  wall,”  without  any  ref¬ 
erence  to  the  house ;  or,  as  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, 
that  he  was  “  let  down  through  a  window  through  the  wall.” 
The  house  of  Rahab,  who  concealed  the  Hebrew  spies,  is 
supposed  to  have  been  in  such  a  situation,  and  to  have  had 
such  a  window.  “  Then  she  let  them  down  by  a  cord  through 
the  window;  for  her  house  was  upon  the  town-wall,  and  she 
dwelt  upon  the  wall.”  (Joshua  2,  15.)  See,  also,  the  ac¬ 
count  of  David’s  escape,  in  1  Samuel  19,  12.  I  saw  houses 
built  on  the  walls,  with  overhanging  windows,  in  several  of 
the  eastern  cities. 

It  occurred  to  me  to  inquire  of  one  of  the  American  mis¬ 
sionaries  at  Sidon  what  he  thought  of  the  point  in  question. 
We  were  standing  at  the  time  in  the  balcony  of  a  window 
of  the  house  which  he  occupied  in  that  city.  He  inclined  to 

assent  to  the  common  view,  and  added:  “We  have  here 

% 

before  us  an  example  of  just  such  an  arrangement.  This 
house  is  contiguous  to  the  city  wall,  and  the  floor  where  we 
stand  is  beyond  the  line  of  the  wall ;  so  that  a  person  descend¬ 
ing  from  this  window  would  alight  on  the  ground  outside  of 
the  city.” 

Possibly  another  explanation  may  be  the  correct  one.  A 
few  steps  to  the  left  of  Bab-es-Shurkeb,  the  gate  on  the  east 
side  of  Damascus,  I  observed  two  or  three  windows  in  the 


CONVENT  AT  MOUNT  SINAI. 


69 


external  face  of  the  wall,  opening  into  houses  on  the  inside 
of  the  city.  If  Saul  was  let  down  through  such  a  window 
(which  belongs  ecpially  to  the  house  and  the  wall),  it  would 
be  still  more  exact  to  interchange  the  two  expressions  ;  that 
is,  we  could  say,  as  in  the  Acts,  that  he  escaped  “  through 
the  wall,”  or  .as  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians,  that  he 
escaped  “  through  a  window  through  the  wall.” 

USE  OF  BASKETS. 

As  I  stood  with  a  friend,  who  resided  at  Damascus,  looking 
at  the  windows  referred  to  _  above,  a  couple  of  men  came  to 
the  top  of  the  wall  with  a  round,  shallow  basket,  full  of  rub¬ 
bish,  which  they  emptied  over  the  wall.  “  Such  a  basket,” 
said  my  friend,  “  the  people  use  here  for  almost  every  sort  of 
thing.  If  they  are  digging  a  well,  and  wish  to  send  a  man 
down  into  it,  they  put  him  into  such  a  basket ;  and  that  those 
who  aided  Paul’s  escape  should  have  used  a  basket  for  the 
purpose,  was  entirely  natural,  according  to  the  present  cus¬ 
toms  of  the  country.  Judging  from  what  is  done  now,  it  is 
the  only  sort  of  vehicle  of  which  men  would  be  apt  to  think 
under  such  circumstances.”  Pilgrims  are  admitted  into  the 
monastery  at  Mount  Sinai  in  a  similar  manner.  A  rope, 
with  a  basket  attached  to  it,  is  let  down  from  a  window  or 
door,  about  thirty  feet  above  the  ground.  Those  who  are  to 
ascend,  seat  themselves,  one  after  another,  in  this  basket, 
and  are  thus  drawn  up  by  means  of  a  pulley  or  windlass 
turned  by  those  in  the  convent. 


70 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


A  CITY  ON  A  HILL. 

The  town  of  Safet,  perched  upon  the  highest  point  in  Galilee, 
may  be  seen  from  a  great  distance  in  all  the  adjacent  region. 
The  Saviour  delivered  his  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  in  Galilee. 
Hence  the  oriental  Christians  say  that  he  had  Safet  in  view 
when  he  compared  his  disciples  to  “a  city  set  on  a  hill.”  Some 
travelers  in  the  East,  as  Stephens,  Elliott  and  others,  express 
the  same  belief,  as  if  it  were  a  matter  well  settled.  But  the 
supposition  of  such  a  reference  is  entirely  improbable,  first, 
because  the  expression  would  then  naturally  be,  “  the  city  set 
on  a  hill ;  ”  and,  secondly,  because  such  an  illustration  in 
that  country  would  be  apt  to  suggest  itself  from  a  more 
general  fact.  Villages  in  Palestine  are  usually  situated  on 
hills,  and  hence  are  conspicuous  at  a  distance.  I  frequently 
counted  six,  eight  or  more  of  them  in  such  places,  all  within 
sight  at  once.  “  City,”  as  used  in  the  English  Scriptures,  it 
may  be  superfluous  to  say,  denotes  hamlet,  village,  as  well  as 
a  town  of  the  larger  class.  Add  to  this,  that  the  houses  are 
often  built  of  chalky  lime-stone,  or  are  whitewashed ;  and 
hence  so  much  the  more  in  that  country  “  a  city  set  on  a  hill 
cannot  be  hid.”  It  will  be  seen,  from  this  statement,  how 
very  expressive  was  the  Saviour’s  illustration  as  addressed 
to  those  living  in  a  hilly  country  where  almost  every  summit 
glittered  with  a  village. 

ELAT  ROOFS. 

The  flat  roofs  of  the  houses  give  rise  to  various  customs 
to  which  we  have  nothing  analogous.  At  sun-down,  when 


BOAST  OF  NEBUCHADNEZZAR.  71 

the  heat  of  the  day  is  past,  people  promenade  there  for  the 
sake  of  fresh  air  and  exercise.  Calling  on  an  acquaintance 
at  J erusalem,  near  the  close  of  the  day,  I  was  informed  that 
the  family  were  on  the  top  o.f  the  house,  and  I  was  invited  to 
join  them  there,  where  they  were  taking  their  evening  walk. 
In  the  larger  towns  it  is  no  uncommon  spectacle,  at  particular 
seasons,  to  look  up  and  see  almost  every  house-top  thronged 
more  or  less  with  persons  moving  to  and  fro,  or  reclining  at 
their  ease.  Allusions  to  this  practice  occur  in  the  Old  Tes¬ 
tament.  In  2  Samuel  11,  2,  it  is  said  that  “  David  arose 
from  his  bed  and  walked  on  the  roof  of  the  king’s  house.” 
In  Daniel  4,  30,  we  read  that  Nebuchadnezzar  “  walked  on  the 
palace  of  the  kingdom  of  Babylon ;  ”  and  that,  as  he  stood 
there  surveying  the  magnificence  of  the  capital,  he  uttered  the 
impious  boast :  “  Is  not  this  great  Babylon  that  I  have 
built,  by  the  might  of  my  power,  and  for  the  honor  of  my 
majesty  ?  ”  He  had  gone  to  the  roof  probably  for  a  different 
object ;  and  it  was  the  accidental  sight  of  the  city  spread 
around  him.  in  its  splendor,  which  filled  his  heart  with  pride, 
and  led  him  to  deny  his  dependence  on  God,  instead  of  ac¬ 
knowledging  him  as  the  author  of  his  prosperity.  Our  Eng¬ 
lish  version  leaves  out  of  view  the  connection  between  the 
occasion  of  the  temptation,  and  the  place  where  Nebuchad¬ 
nezzar  was  standing  at  the  moment.  The  margin  of  our 
Bibles  suggests,  correctly,  that,  instead  of  “  in,”  we  should 
read  “on  ”  the  palace,  in  the  account  of  this  transaction. 

The  roof  was  used,  also,  as  a  place  for  conversation,  and, 
at  night,  in  the  warm  season,  was  often  converted  into  a 


72 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


substitute  for  a  sleeping-room.  It  is  related  that  Samuel, 
wishing  for  a  private  interview  with  Saul,  “  communed  with 
him  on  the  top  of  the  house.”  It  would  appear  that  Saul,  at 
least,  slept  there  during  the  following  night ;  for  early  the 
next  morning,  “  Samuel  called  to  Saul  on  the  top  of  the 
house,  *  saying,  Up,  that  I  may  send  thee  awaj .”  (2  Samuel 
9,  25.  26.)  At  the  present  day,  when  the  nights  are  warm, 
the  roof  is  regarded  as  the  best  place  for  sleeping  which  the 
house  affords. 

HIDING  THE  SPIES. 

Another  use  to  which  the  open  space  on  the  roof  is  applied 
is  that  of  storing  corn,  figs,  grapes  and  other  fruit,  placed 
there  to  ripen  more  fully,  or  to  be  dried.  It  is  very  conve¬ 
nient  for  that  purpose,  because  the  products,  in  such  a  situa¬ 
tion,  are  exposed  to  the  full  glare  of  the  sun,  and  are  so 
comparatively  safe  from  pillage.  “  At  Deburieh,  at  the 
base  of  Tabor,”  says  Mr.  Bartlett,  “  we  established  our 
bivouac  at  nightfall  upon  the  roof  of  a  house,  amidst  heaps 
of  corn  just  gathered  from  the  surrounding  plain.”  f 

This  custom  reaches  back  to  the  very  beginnings  of  Bible 
history.  The  Canaanites,  who  occupied  the  country  before 
the  Hebrews,  made  use  of  the  same  facility  for  ripening  their 
harvests.  The  case  of  Raliab  who  dwelt  in  Jericho,  and  who 
concealed  the  “two  men”  sent  as  spies  from  the  Hebrew  camp, 
shows  the  observance  of  the  practice  at  that  early  age  and 

*  A  sliglit  oliange  in  the  English  version  is  required  here, 
f  Footsteps  of  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles  (Eng.  3d  ed.),  p.  199. 


VISION  OF  PETER. 


73 


among  the  aboriginal  inhabitants.  “  She  brought  them  up,” 
it  is  said,  “  to  the  roof  of  the  house,  and  hid  them  with  the 
stalks  of  the  flax,  which  she  had  laid  in  order  upon  the  roof.” 
(Joshua  2,  6.)  She  had  placed  the  flax  there  to  dry,  and,  in 
the  emergency  of  the  moment,  took  advantage  of  its  being 
there,  as  the  readiest  way  of  concealing  the  men  from  their 
pursuers. 

PRAYING  ON  THE  HOUSE-TOP. 

The  roofs  of  the  larger  houses  have  usually  a  wall  or 
balustrade  around  them,  three  or  four  feet  high  ;  so  that  a 
person  there,  while  he  has  a  view  of  surrounding  objects, 
does  not  expose  himself  necessarily  to  the  observation  of 
others.  Without  considering  this  fact,  it  might  strike  one 
that  the  apostle  Peter  hardly  acted  in  the  spirit  of  the  Sa¬ 
viour’s  precept  (Matthew  6,  6),  in  repairing  to  the  house-top 
for  the  performance  of  his  devotions.  See  Acts  10,  9,  sop 
The  roof  in  this  instance,  however,  may  have  had  a  protection 
like  that  mentioned  above,  and  the  apostle  may  have  chosen 
this  retreat  because  he  could  be  secure  there  both  from  inter¬ 
ruption  and  from  public  notice.  Indeed,  at  Jaffa,  the 
ancient  Joppa,  where  Peter  was  residing  at  the  time  of  his 
vision  on  the  house-top,  I  observed  houses,  furnished  with  a 
wall  around  the  roof,  within  which  a  person  could  sit  or 
kneel,  without  any  exposure  to  the  view  of  others,  whether  on 
the  adjacent  houses  or  in  the  streets.  At  Jerusalem,  I  en¬ 
tered  the  house  of  a  Jew  early  one  morning,  and  found  a 
member  of  the  family,  sitting  secluded  and  alone  on  one  of 

7 


74 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 


the  lower  roofs,  engaged  in  reading  the  Scriptures  and  offer¬ 
ing  his  prayers. 

The  Mahommedans,  it  is  true,  make  no  scruple  about  per¬ 
forming  their  religious  duties  in  public, — they  desire  rather 
than  shun  the  observation  of  others ;  and  we  know  that  the 
Jews  of  old  were  ever  prone  to  the  same  ostentation.  But 
our  Lord  enjoined  a  different  rule.  His  direction  was: 
“When  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when  thou 
hast  shut  the  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  in  secret,  and  thy 
Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward  thee  openly.” 

DWELLING  ON  TIIE  HOUSE-TOP. 

On  the  roof  of  the  house  in  which  I  lodged  at  Damascus 
were  chambers  and  rooms  along  the  side  and  at  the  corners 
of  the  open  space  or  terrace,  which  constitutes  often  a  sort 
of  upper  story.  I  observed  the  same  thing  in  connection  with 
other  houses.  At  Deburieh,  a  little  village  at  the  foot  of 
Mount  Tabor,  probably  the  Daberath  of  the  Old  Testament 
(Joshua  19,  12),  I  noticed  small  booths,  made  of  the  branches 
and  leaves  of  trees,  on  some  of  the  roofs.  Peter  exclaimed 
at  the  time  of  the  transfiguration  :  “It  is  good  for  us  to  be 
here;  and  let  us  make  three  tabernacles”  or  booths;  “one 
for  thee,  and  one  for  Moses,  and  one  for  Elias.”  (Matthew  17, 
4.)  As  I  was  then  approaching  Tabor,  the  reputed  (though  I 
suppose  not  the  actual)  scene  of  that  event,  it  was  certainly 
striking,  at  least,  as  a  coincidence  with  the  subject  of  my 
thoughts  at  the  moment,  to  see  those  booths  in  such  a  place. 


PROFIIECY  OF  JEREMIAH. 


75 


Poeocke,  who  spent  a  night  at  Tiberias,  says:*  “We 
supped  on  the  top  of  the  house,  for  coolness,  according  to  their 
custom,  and  lodged  there  likewise,  in  a  sort  of  closet  about 
eight  feet  square,  of  wicker-work,  plastered  round  toward  the 
bottom,  but  without  any  door.”  Such  places,  though  very 
agreeable  as  a  retreat  from  the  sun  in  summer,  and  cooler 
than  the  interior  of  the  house,  would  be  very  undesirable  as 
a  constant  abode,  especially  in  the  rainy  season  and  during 
the  winter.  Any  rooms  so  exposed  as  those  on  the  roof,  and 
comparatively  so  narrow  and  confined,  would  be  inferior  to 
the  lower  and  ordinary  apartments  of  the  house.  To  such 
places  of  retreat  on  the  roof  we  may  suppose  the  proverb  to 
refer  which  says  :  “  Eetter  to  dwell  in  the  corner  of  the 
house-top  than  with  a  brawling  woman  in  a  wide  house,” 
(Proverbs  21,  9.) 

THE  PLACE  OF  OBSERVATION. 

I  rode  one  afternoon  with  a  company  of  friends  to  Anata, 
the  Anathoth  of  Jeremiah  1,1,  four  or  five  miles  to  the 
north-east  of  Jerusalem.  This  is  now  a  paltry  village  of  ten 
or  twelve  houses ;  though  some  ruins  discovered  there  indi¬ 
cate  that  it  may  have  been  once  a  more  important  place.  It 
was  a  city  of  the  Levites  ;  they  spurned  the  prophet’s  mes¬ 
sage,  and  called  forth  one  of  his  severest  predictions : 

“  Thus  saith  Jehovah  against  the  men  of  Anathoth, 

Who  seek  thy  life  and  say  :  — 

‘  Prophesy  not  in  the  name  of  Jehovah, 

*  Travels,  Vol.  n.,  p.  G9  (1745). 


4 


76 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


And  so  shalt  thou  not  die  by  our  hand.’ 

Therefore,  thus  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts  :  — 

*  Behold,  I  'will  punish  them,  — 

The  young  men  shall  die  by  the  sword. 

Their  sons  and  daughters  shall  die  by  hunger. 

And  no  remnant  be  left  to  them  ; 

For  I  will  bring  evil  on  the  men  of  Anathoth 
At  the  time  when  I  punish  them.’  ” 

The  Assyrian  conquest  fulfilled  this  prophecy.  Anathoth 
was  then  laid  waste,  and  continued  to  be  a  heap  of  ruins  until 
the  return  from  the  exile,  when  it  was  rebuilt.  See  Jeremiah 
32,  7,  sq.,  compared  with  Ezra  2,  23. 

Our  arrival  excited  some  interest  in  the  little  hamlet.  The 
villagers,  men  and  women,  soon  showed  themselves  on  the  tops 
of  the  houses,  where  they  could  observe  us  and  our  movements 
to  better  advantage.  In  the  larger  towns  the  houses,  espe¬ 
cially  of  the  better  class,  have  windows  which  look  toward  the 
street,  though  guarded  usually  by  close  lattice  work,  as  well 
as  windows  which  look  into  the  court,  and  are  more  open. 
In  the  common  villages  the  houses,  as  a  general  thing,  have 
windows  only  of  the  latter  description.  Hence  the  inmates, 
in  order  to  obtain  a  view  of  anything  taking  place  at  a  dis¬ 
tance  or  on  the  outside  of  their  habitations,  find  it  convenient 
to  repair  to  the  roofs  for  that  purpose.  This  fact  throws  light 
on  Isaiah  22,  1.  The  prophet,  when  he  would  represent  the 
people  of  Jerusalem  as  alarmed  by  the  apprehension  of  an  ap¬ 
proaching  enemy,  describes  them  as  hastening  to  the  house¬ 
tops  and  looking  forth  anxiously  to  descry  the  approach  of 


HAND-MILL  AT  JENIN. 


77 


the  invaders.  How  unintelligible,  without  a  knowledge  of 
that  custom,  would  be  the  prophet’s  abrupt  exclamation 
addressed  to  the  city :  “  What  aileth  thee  now,  that  thou  art 
— -all  (of  thee)  —  gone  up  to  the  house-tops?”  See,  also, 
Isaiah  15,  3. 

USE  OF  BELLS. 

It  is  very  common  to  see  bells  attached  to  the  necks  of 
mules,  horses  and  camels,  when  the  animals  are  at  pasture 
or  traveling.  The  object  is  to  incite  them  to  a  more  lively 
movement;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  bell  serves  as  a 
signal  for  keeping  those  who  journey  together  from  becoming 
separated,  or  enabling  them,  if  that  should  happen,  to  regain 
their  course.  This  familiar  practice  suggests  the  expression  in 
Zechariah  14,  20  :  “  In  that  day  shall  there  be  (inscribed) 
on  the  bells  of  the  horses,  Holiness  unto  the  Lord.”  The 
prophet  foresees  the  introduction  of  a  new  type  of  piety 
among  men  ;  none  of  their  possessions,  when  that  better  age 
has  come,  are  to  be  kept  back  from  the  service  of  God ;  they 
shall  carry  the  spirit  of  religion  into  all  the  concerns  and 
relations  of  life. 

GRINDING  AT  TI1E  MILL. 

It  is  a  little  remarkable  that  although  the  practice  of  grind¬ 
ing  corn  by  a  hand-mill,  to  which  the  sacred  writers  so  often 
allude,  is  still  very  common  in  Syria,  I  yet  witnessed  but  one 
instance  of  it.  This  was  at  Jenin,  on  the  border  of  the  plain 
of  Esdraelon.  In  the  court  of  one  of  the  houses  of  this  vil¬ 
lage  I  saw  two  young  women  sitting  on  the  ground,  engaged 
in  this  mode  of  grinding.  The  mill  consisted  of  two  stones, 
7# 


78 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  upper  one  circular,  the  lower  one  partly  so,  with  a  pro¬ 
jection  on  one  side,  two  or  three  inches  long,  slanting  down¬ 
ward,  and  scooped  out  so  as  to  carry  off  the  meal.  The 
lower  stone  had  an  iron  pivot  (I  think  it  was)  extending 
from  its  centre  through  a  hole  in  the  centre  of  the  upper 
stone.  An  upright  handle  was  fixed  in  a  socket  near  the 
edge  of  the  upper  stone,  and  both  the  women,  taking  hold 
of  this  handle,  whirled  the  stone  round  and  round  with  great 
rapidity.  One  of  them  every  now  and  then  dropped  a  hand¬ 
ful  of  grain  into  the  hole  at  the  centre  of  the  upper  stone. 
Perceiving  my  curiosity,  they  stopped  the  motion  of  the  mill, 
and,  taking  off  the  upper  stone  from  the  lower,  afforded  me  a 
view  of  the  inside..  I  found  that  the  surface  of  the  stones 
where  they  came  in  contact  was  very  rough,  marked  with 
indentations  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  the  grain  more  effect¬ 
ually.  At  an  earlier  stage  of  my  journey,  at  Pompeii  in 
Italy,  I  had  seen  a  pair  of  mill-stones,  entirely  similar  to  these 
in  the  East.  They  were  in  the  house  known  among  the 
ruins  there  as  the  house  of  the  baker,  occupying,  in  all  prob¬ 
ability,  the  very  spot  where  they  stood  on  the  day  when  the 
eruption  of  Vesuvius  buried  up  that  ill-fated  city. 

The  labor  of  grinding  at  such  mills  is  still  performed  for 
the  most  part  by  females,  as  is  implied  in  the  Saviour’s  dec¬ 
laration  :  “  Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill  ;  the 
one  shall  be  taken  and  the  other  left.”  It  was  impossible  to 
look  at  two  persons  sitting  like  those  females  by  the  side  of 
each  other,  and  engaged  in  the  same  occupation,  without 
feeling  how  forcibly  that  language  must  have  conveved  to 


HILL  OF  BEZETIL4. 


79 


Christ’s  hearers  the  intended  idea  of  the  suddenness  of  the 
destruction  which  was  about  to  burst  on  Judea,  and  of  the 
difficulty  and  uncertainty,  in  the  case  of  each  individual,  of 
his  effecting  his  escape  from  it. 


SONG  OF  THE  GRINDERS. 

The  time  of  grinding  is  regulated  by  the  wants  of  the 
family ;  hence,  though  it  may  occur  at  other  times,  it  takes 
place  usually  at  early  dawn,  in  preparation  for  the  morning 
meal,  and,  for  a  similar  reason,  at  the  close  of  day.  I  was 
saying,  in  the  house  of  a  resident  at  Jerusalem,  that  I  was 
disappointed  in  not  having  seen,  as  yet,  the  eastern  mill  in 
use.  “  If  you  will  come  here  at  sun-down,”  he  replied,  “you 
can  satisfy  that  desire ;  you  will  see  and  hear  the  women 
grinding  all  around  us.”  His  house  was  on  the  hill  Bezetha, 
where  the  unoccupied  ground  allows  the  people  to  come 
abroad  and  perform  such  labor  in  the  open  air. 

The  operation  of  grinding  is  attended  not  only  with  the 


80 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


noise  occasioned  by  the  grating  of  the  stones,  but  often  by 
that  of  the  singing,  or,  as  we  might  call  it  quite  as  properly, 
the  shrieking  of  the  women  who  grind.  Various  travelers 
testify  to  the  fact  of  its  being  common  for  them  to  accompany 
their  occupation  with  a  song.  Hence,  as  the  recurrence  of  the 
noise  of  the  hand-mill  at  the  proper  hours  is  one  of  the  char¬ 
acteristics  of  an  inhabited,  flourishing  village ;  so,  on  the  con¬ 
trary,  the  cessation  of  this  noise  is  mentioned  in  the  Scrip¬ 
tures  as  one  of  the  things  which  mark  most  impressively  the 
solitude  of  a  place  given  up  to  desertion  and  ruin.  Thus,  in 
Jeremiah  25,  10,  11,  God  threatens  to  take  from  the  Jews 

“  The  voice  of  mirth,  and  the  voice  of  gladness, 

The  voice  of  the  bridegroom,  and  the  voice  of  the  bride, 

The  sound  of  the  mill-stones,  and  the  light  of  the  candle  : 

And  the  whole  land  shall  be  a  desolation  and  an  astonishment.” 

The  writer  of  the  Apocalypse  (18,  22)  announces  the  fall 
of  the  mystical  Babylon  in  similar  terms  :  “  The  voice  of 
harpers  and  musicians,  and  of  pipers  and  trumpeters, 
shall  be  heard  no  more  in  thee;  and  no  craftsman,  of 
whatsoever  craft,  shall  be  found  any  more  in  thee ;  and 
the  sound  of  a  mill-stone  shall  be  heard  no  more  at  all  in 
thee.” 

STATUTE  OF  MOSES. 

It  is  evident  that  no  family  could  well  dispense  with  so 
necessary  an  article  as  the  mill-stone.  If  deprived  of  this, 
they  would  be  put  to  the  greatest  inconvenience  in  preparing 
their  daily  food.  Hence  we  see  the  humanity  of  the  Hebrew 


MODE  OF  EXECUTION. 


81 


lawgiver,  who  enacted  that  “  no  man  should  take  the  upper 
or  nether  mill-stone  as  a  pledge ;  for  he  taketh  a  man’s  life, 
in  pledge.”  (Deuteronomy  24,  6.) 

DROWNING  IN  THE  SEA. 

The  common  mill-stone  rarely  exceeds  two  feet  in  diame¬ 
ter,  and  hence  its  size  fitted  it  to  be  used  as  an  instrument 
of  punishment.  It  was  sometimes  fastened  to  the  necks  of 
criminals  who  were  to  be  drowned.  To  this  use  of  it  the 
passage  (Mark  9,  42)  alludes,  which  says  :  Sooner  than 
“  offend  one  of  these  little  ones,  it  were  better  for  a  man  that 
a  mill-stone  were  hanged  about  his  neck,  and  he  were  cast 
into  the  sea.”  See  also  Matthew  18,  6  ;  and  Luke  17,  2.  It 
is  said  that  this  mode  of  execution  has  not  become  obsolete 
in  the  East. 

BEHIND  THE  MILL. 

As  those  who  grind  have  the  mill  before  them,  it  becomes 
natural,  in  describing  their  position  with  reference  to  the 
mill,  to  speak  of  their  being  behind  it.  This  explains  the 
otherwise  singular  expression  in  Exodus  11,  5.  It  is  said 
there  that  the  pestilence  which  was  to  be  sent  on  the  Egyp¬ 
tians  should  “  destroy  from  the  first-born  of  Pharaoh  that 
sitteth  upon  his  throne,  even  unto  the  first-born  of  the  maid¬ 
servant  that  is  behind  the  mill.” 

samson’s  punishment. 

It  is  said,  in  Judges  16,  21,  that  the  Philistines  “  put  out 
the  eyes  of  Samson,  and  made  him  grind  in  the  prison- 


82 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


house ;  ”  that  is,  he  was  confined  in  prison,  and  required  to 
grind  there,  by  turning  a  hand-mill,  such  as  I  have  described 
above.  A  more  degrading  labor  could  not  have  been  im¬ 
posed  on  him  ;  and  it  was  chosen  for  that  very  reason.  He 
who  had  been  the  hero  of  Israel,  who  had  possessed  the 
strength  of  a  giant,  was  compelled  to  sit  on  the  ground  and 
grind  corn,  for  his  insulting  foes,  like  a  woman  or  a  slave. 
Some  persons  entertain  the  grotesque  idea  that  Samson  was 
put  into  a  harness,  like  a  horse,  and  made  to  grind  in  some 
sort  of  a  tread-mill. 


SHUTTING  THE  GATES. 

In  returning  from  an  excursion  to  Neby  Samuil,  the  Mizpah 
of  Scripture,  two  hours  north  of  Jerusalem,  the  day  proved 
to  be  well-nigh  spent.  We  had  consumed  more  time  than 
we  had  supposed,  and  were  obliged  to  ride  as  rapidly  as  the 
rugged  path  would  allow ;  for  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  are 
closed  punctually  at  sun-down  (except  one  of  them,  which 
remains  open  half  an  hour  later),  and  we  were  in  danger, 
consequently,  of  arriving  too  late  to  be  admitted.  This 
practice  of  shutting  the  gates  is  not  peculiar,  of  course,  to 
Jerusalem,  or  to  eastern  cities,  and  is  not  mentioned  as  any¬ 
thing  novel ;  but  it  was  not  without  its  interest,  surely,  to  be 
reminded  of  the  existence  of  the  custom,  under  just  such  cir¬ 
cumstances.  It  was  adapted  to  call  to  mind  the  application 
of  the  fact  which  the  apostle  John  has  made  in  his  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  heavenly  Jerusalem  :  “The  city  had  no  need  of 
the  sun,  neither  of  the  moon  to  shine  in  it ;  for  the  glory  of 


THE  NAMES  USED, 


83 


God  did  lighten  it,  and  the  Lamb  is  the  light  thereof.  And 
the  gates  of  it  shall  not  be  shut  at  all  by  day ;  for  there  shall 
be  no  night  there.”  (Revelation  21,  23.  25.) 

USE  OF  PERSONAL  NAMES. 

The  simplicity  in  the  mode  of  naming  individuals,  which 
prevailed  among  the  Hebrews,  is  practised  still.  Thus  we 
read  in  the  Scriptures,  of  Abraham,  Jacob,  David,  Peter, 
James,  Paul,  without  any  additional  name,  except  in  certain 
cases  where  an  obvious  reason  existed  for  a  fuller  mode  of 
designation.  The  name  of  the  father  was  sometimes  added 
for  the  sake  of  effect,  as  Simon  son  of  Joses;  or  an  epithet 
was  employed,  as  Simon  Zelotes,  Judas  Iscariot,  when  two  or 
more  persons  moved  in  the  same  circle,  and  were  in  danger 
of  being  mistaken  for  one  another.  But,  with  a  few  excep¬ 
tional  deviations  of  this  nature,  men  were  wont  to  be  known 
in  common  life  under  a  single  name,  the  Christian  name,  as 
we  should  call  it,  in  distinction  from  that  of  the  family. 

The  old  usage  remains  at  the  present  day ;  and  not  only  so, 
but  the  names  employed  with  most  frequency  are  the  ancient 
historic  names  of  the  Bible.  In  the  caravan  with  which  I 
traveled  from  Egypt  to  Palestine  were  fourteen  men  who 
were  natives  of  the  country.  Among  them  we  had  an  Abra¬ 
ham,  Ishmael,  Jacob,  Joseph,  Moses,  Solomon  and  Job.  We 
addressed  them,  and  they  addressed  each  other,  in  the  true 
patriarchal  style,  by  these  familiar  appellations.  This  use  of 
single  names,  and  this  partiality  for  the  names  which  the  Old 
or  the  New  Testament  has  rendered  famous,  we  find  existing 


84 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


not  only  among  the  Jews,  but  the  Arabs  and  the  Christian  in¬ 
habitants  of  the  East,  as  Copts,  Armenians,  Greeks  and  others. 

The  habit  of  hearing  such  names  used  continually  in  the 
lands  where  they  originated,  and  where  the  actions  were  per¬ 
formed  which  they  suggest  to  the  mind,  tends  powerfully  to 
weaken  one’s  impression  of  the  remoteness  of  time,  and  to 
bring  the  past  and  present  near  to  each  other.  It  contrib¬ 
utes  to  the  same  feeling  to  journey  from  place  to  place,  and 
see  the  ruins  or  sites  of  so  many  ancient  towns,  and  to  hear 
the  people  speaking,  from  day  to  day,  of  Jerusalem,  and  He¬ 
bron,  and  Joppa,  and  Bethlehem,  and  Nazareth,  from  wThich 
the  traveler  perhaps  has  just  come,  or  to  which  he  inquires 
the  way. 

I  am  conscious  that  these  and  similar  causes  have  wrought 
a  great  change  in  my  own  feelings,  at  least,  on  this  subject. 
The  days  when  Christ  walked  on  the  earth ;  when  Peter,  and 
John,  and  the  other  disciples  traveled  with  him  over  the 
mountains  and  plains  of  Palestine  ;  nay,  when  Abraham,  and 
Lot,  and  the  other  patriarchs,  pitched  their  tents  at  Hebron, 
and  Bethel,  and  Shechem,  seem  by  no  means  so  remote  as 
they  once  did.  The  intervening  period  of  time  has  become 
narrower.  It  appears  but  comparatively  a  short  time  since 
such  persons  lived  in  the  world,  and  performed  the  deeds 
which  we  connect  with  their  names. 

A  CONTINUAL  DROPPING. 

On  the  roofs  of  many  of  the  houses,  especially  in  northern 
Syria,  I  noticed  a  cylindrical  rolling-stone,  the  object  of 


DRIVEN  OUT  OE  THE  HOUSE. 


85 


which,  as  I  was  told,  was  to  smooth  and  harden  the  mud- 

\ 

covered  roofs.  This  operation  is  necessary  as  a  means  of 
keeping  out  the  rain ;  since  otherwise  the  mud  and  gravel, 
which  cover  the  poorer  houses,  would  crack  and  allow  the 
water  to  trickle  through  the  crevices  upon  the  heads  of  the 
inmates.  It  is  customary  to  apply  the  roller  especially 
after  a  shower,  because  the  clay,  being  then  softened,  may  be 
reduced  more  easily  to  a  solid  mass. 

Notwithstanding  this  precaution,  and  still  more  in  case  of 
its  being  omitted,  it  is  found  to  be  very  difficult  to  exclude 
the  wet  entirely  from  such  imperfect  habitations.  The  more 
violent,  protracted  rains  are  liable  to  loosen  the  earth 
which  forms  the  roof  and  to  open  a  passage  for  the  water  to 
flow  or  drop,  according  to  the  extent  of  the  injury,  into  the 
interior  of  the  house. 

Though  it  may  not  be  entirely  certain,  it  is  yet  probable 
that  the  comparison  in  Proverbs  27,  15,  is  derived  from  this 
liability  of  the  Syrian  villagers  to  suffer  such  an  invasion  of 
their  domestic  comfort.  “  A  continual  dropping  in  a  very 
rainy  day  and  a  contentious  woman  are  alike  ;  ”  that  is,  they 
are  equally  intolerable,  and  drive  a  man  out  of  the  house  ;  or, 
if  he  remains,  render  his  situation  exceedingly  unpleasant. 
As  an  illustration  of  this,  Mr.  Hartley,  who  traveled  in  Asia 
Minor,  relates  the  following  incident :  “  Last  night,”  he  says, 
“  we  retired  to  rest  in  what  appeared  to  be  one  of  the 
best  rooms  which  we  have  occupied  during  the  journey ;  but 
at  midnight  we  were  roused  by  the  rain  descending  through 
the  roof ;  and  were  obliged  to  rise  and  seek  shelter  from 

8 


86 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  incessant  dropping,  in  the  corridor,  which  was  better 
protected.”  * 

Pertinent  here,  also,  is  what  Lepsius,  f  the  Egyptologer, 
mentions  as  having  happened  to  himself  on  one  occasion. 
Being  overtaken  by  a  sudden  shower  at  night,  near  Deir  El- 
Kamar,  on  Mount  Lebanon,  he  took  refuge  in  a  common 
house  of  the  country.  He  attempted  to  sleep  ;  but  ere  long 
the  continued  rain  softened  the  mud  on  the  roof,  and  began 
to  pour  down  on  his  bed.  The  family,  out  of  pity  to  him, 
sent  out  one  of  their  number  to  fill  up  the  chinks  and  draw 
about  the  stone  roller.  But  now,  besides  the  rain,  heaps  of 
stone  and  dirt  came  tumbling  on  him,  so  that  bad  was  made 
worse ;  he  was  compelled  to  beg  them  to  forego  the  well- 
meant  kindness.  He  had  no  sleep  that  night,  and  hailed  the 
earliest  dawn  as  the  signal  for  departing. 

The  authors  of  the  Septuagint  version  evidently  understood 
the  passage  under  remark  as  alluding  to  this  species  of  an¬ 
noyance.  They  translate,  “  Drops  of  rain  in  a  wintry  day 
drive  a  man  out  of  his  house  ;  in  the  same  manner,  also, 
does  an  abusive  woman.”  Many  of  the  commentators  recog¬ 
nize  this  as  the  origin  of  the  illustration  in  the  proverb. 

SALE  OF  SPARROWS. 

The  sparrows  which  flutter  and  twitter  about  dilapidated 
buildings  at  Jerusalem,  and  crevices  of  the  city  wralls,  are 

*  Cited  in  Scripture  Manners  and  Customs,  one  of  the  publications 
of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian  Knowledge. 

f  Briefe  aus  iEgypten,  iEthiopien,  &c.  (1852),  p.  398. 


CHIRPING  OF  SPARROWS. 


87 


very  numerous.  In  some  of  the  more  lonely  streets  they  are 
so  noisy  as  almost  to  overpower  every  other  sound.  As  I 
heard  their  chirping  around  me  and  above  me,  I  could  not 
help  thinking  Of  the  Hebrew  term  ( tsippor ),  which  designates 
that  class  of  birds ;  the  resemblance  here  between  name  and 
object  was  very  striking.  It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that 
they  are  not  less  numerous  in  other  places  where  they  have 
similar  means  for  obtaining  shelter  and  building  their  nests. 

A  person  who  resided  in  the  country  told  me  that  these 
birds  are  sometimes  caught  or  killed,  and  brought  to  market, 
in  order  to  be  sold  as  food.  Being  so  small  and  so  abundant, 
their  value  singly  must  of  course  be  trifling ;  and  hence,  as 
the  custom  of  selling  them  was  an  ancient  one,  we  see  how 
pertinent  was  the  Saviour’s  illustration  for  showing  how 
minutely  God  watches  over  all  events,  and  how  entirely  his 
people  may  rely  on  his  care  and  goodness.  “  Are  not  two 
sparrows  sold  for  a  farthing  ?  And  one  of  them  shall  not 
fall  on  the  ground  without  your  Father.  But  the  very  hairs 
of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  ye  not,  therefore,  ye 
are  of  more  value  than  many  sparrows.”  (Matthew  10, 
29 — 31.) 

The  sparrows,  in  their  resort  to  houses  and  other  such 
places,  appear  to  be  a  privileged  bird.  They  are  not  timid ; 
they  frequent  boldly  the  haunts  of  men.  Again  and  again 
was  I  reminded  of  the  passage  in  the  Psalms  (84,  3),  where 
the  pious  Israelite,  debarred  from  the  privileges  of  the  sanc¬ 
tuary,  envies  the  lot  of  the  birds,  so  much  more  favored 
than  he. 


88 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


“  Even  the  sparrow  finds  a  house, 

And  the  swallow  has  a  nest, 

"Where  she  lays  her  young. 

Near  thy  altars,  Jehovah  of  hosts. 

My  King,  and  my  God.” 

The  altars  are  those  for  burnt  offerings  and  for  incense, 
and  inasmuch  as  so  many  of  the  holiest  rites  were  performed 
there,  may  be  put  in  this  passage  by  way  of  dignity  for  the 
entire  temple.  We  cannot  suppose  that  birds  would  be  al¬ 
lowed  to  build  on  the  altars  themselves,  or  could  build  there 
on  account  of  the  use  made  of  them.  At  the  present  day 
they  may  be  seen  hovering  about  the  cupola  and  other 
parts  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar,  which  occupies  the  ground 
where  the  temple  of  Solomon  stood. 

The  Psalmist  (102,  8)  makes  another  beautiful  allusion 
to  the  habits  of  the  sparrow  : 

“  I  watch,  and  am  as  a  bird 
Solitary  upon  the  roof.” 

The  meaning  is,  that,  like  a  bird  deprived  of  its  mate  and  its 
young,  so  is  he  helpless  and  forsaken  of  all  the  world ;  or  as 
such  a  lonely  bird  chirps  plaintively  on  the  house-top,  so  he 
complains  and  mourns. 

WELLS. 

A  passage  occurs  in  Genesis  24,  11,  sq.,  which  groups 
together  several  particulars  that  make  up  an  oriental  scene 
entirely  unique.  The  age  is  that  of  the  patriarchs  ;  the 
actors  are  Eleazer,  Abraham’s  servant,  and  Rebekah,  the  des- 


JARS  CARRIED  ON  TIIE  HEAD. 


89 


tined  bride  of  Isaac ;  the  place  is  a  well  or  tank  in  Mesopo¬ 
tamia,  outside  of  the  city  ;  the  time,  nightfall.  “  And  he  made 
his  camels  to  kneel  down  without  the  city,  by  a  well  of  water, 
at  the  time  of  the  evening,  even  the  time  that  women  go  out 
to  draw  water.  And,  behold,  Hebekah  came  out,  with  her 
pitcher  upon  her  shoulder ;  and  she  went  down  to  the 
well  and  filled  her  pitcher,  and  came  up.”  A  modern  guide¬ 
book  could  hardly  furnish  a  truer  picture  of  what  occurs 
at  the  close  of  every  day,  in  the  vicinity  of  eastern  villages, 
than  this  description,  written  so  many  thousand  years  ago. 
The  wells,  at  present,  exist  almost  universally  just  out  of  the 
town ;  those  who  draw  the  water  are  women  ;  they  perform 
this  office  at  other  hours  indeed,  but  especially  at  evening; 
they  carry  their  pitchers  upon  their  heads  or  shoulders  ;  and 
often,  though  this  depends  on  the  construction  of  the  tanks 
or  fountains,  which  is  not  always  the  same,  they  have  to  go 
down  a  flight  of  steps,  in  order  to  reach  the  water.  How 
vividly  depicted  in  my  mind  are  the  scenes  embodying  these 
traits  of  oriental  life,  which  I  associate  with  Yebna,  Ilamleh, 
Bireh,  Beitin,  Lebonah,  Nazareth,  Kana,  and  other  places 
still ! 

The  task  of  fetching  water  for  domestic  uses  is  performed 
almost  wholly  by  females.  I  recollect  but  two  instances  in 
which  I  saw  “a  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water;”  and  I 
think  that  the  manner  in  which  the  Saviour  refers  to  such  a 
circumstance  (he  mentions  it  as  a  sign)  implies  that  it  was 
not  common.  Morning  and  evening  are  the  times  when  they 

resort  to  the  wells  most  frequently ;  and  at  such  seasons  they 
8* 


90 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


may  be  seen  flocking  thither,  if  the  village  be  one  of  any  size, 
in  great  numbers,  carrying  with  them  their  skin  bottles,  or 
their  pitchers  and  jars,  which,  having  filled  with  water,  they 
place  on  their  shoulders,  and  in  merry  groups  return  to  their 
homes.  The  tank  at  Ramleli,  in  the  plain  of  Sharon,  like 
the  well  to  which  Rebekah  descended,  has  a  flight  of  steps  at 
one  corner.  The  upper  pool  of  Gihon,  on  the  west  of  Jeru¬ 
salem,  has  a  similar  descent  at  the  south-east  and  south-west 
corners.  The  reservoir,  supplied  from  the  well  of  En-Rogel, 
near  where  the  valley  of  Hinnom  falls  ^into  that  of  Jeliosha- 
phat,  has  steps  at  the  north-west  corner.  So,  too,  the  Foun¬ 
tain  of  the  Virgin,  in  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  lies  in  the 
bosom  of  a  deep  rock ;  and  the  visitor  has  to  descend  two 
series  of  steps  before  he  comes  to  the  level  of  the  water.  I. 
frequently  saw  women  come  to  this  place,  “  go  down  to  the 
well,”  fill  their  bottles,  and  bear  them  away  on  their  heads 
or  shoulders. 

MODE  OF  DRAWING. 

Sometimes  a  well-sweep,  or  windlass,  is  used  for  raising  the 
water ;  but  more  commonly  it  is  done  by  means  of  a  rope 
fastened  to  the  neck  of  the  jar  or  bottle.  The  woman  at  the 
well  of  Samaria  refers  to  some  such  contrivance  when  she 
says  that  “  the  well  was  deep,  and  there  was  nothing  to 
draw  with.”  (John  4,  11.)  The  curb-stones  are  often  in¬ 
dented  with  deep  marks  worn  by  the  friction  of  the  ropes 
employed  in  raising  water. 


TROUGHS  AT  THE  WELLS. 


91 


WATERING  OF  FLOCKS. 

It  is  a  familiar  sight  still  to  see  a  flock  of  sheep,  or  several 
flocks,  crouching  at  a  watering-place ;  as  it  was  in  the  days 
when  Jacob  “  looked,  and  behold  a  well  in  the  field,  and,  lo ! 
there  were  three  flocks  of  sheep  lying  by  it ;  for  out  of  that 
well  they  watered  the  flocks.”  (Genesis  29,  2.)  It  is  added, 
that  “  a  great  stone  was  upon  the  well’s  mouth.”  This  pre¬ 
caution  is  necessary,  especially  in  certain  places  where  the 
wind  would  otherwise  blow  the  sand  into  the  well  and  fill  it 
up.  In  approaching  the  ancient  Sychar,  I  passed  a  well,  the 
mouth  of  which  was  stopped  with  a  stone  so  large  that  the 
united  strength  of  two  men  would  be  required  to  move  it. 
The  daughters  of  Laban  speak  of  the  size  of  the  stone  on  the 
well’s  mouth  (Genesis  29,  8),  as  a  reason  why  they  could  not 
water  their  flocks  without  assistance. 

In  G-enesis  30,  38,  “  troughs  ”  are  mentioned,  from  which 
the  sheep  and  cattle  were  accustomed  to  drink.  I  seldom  saw 
a  well,  in  the  open  country,  that  was  not  furnished  with  this 
needful  apparatus.  In  some  instances  the  trough  was  a  long 
stone  block  hollowed  out,  from  which  a  number  of  animals 
could  drink  at  once;  in  other  instances  the  troughs  were 
smaller,  several  of  them  lying  about  the  same  well,  from 
which  one  animal  only  could  drink  at  a  time. 

FOUNTAIN  AT  NAZARETH. 

Among  the  places  of  traditionary  interest  at  Nazareth, 
there  was  no  one  which  I  felt  more  disposed  to  regard  with 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


veneration,  than  a  fountain  just  out  of  the  village.  It  is 
called  the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  from  its  being  supposed 
that  Mary,  the  mother  of  J esus,  was  accustomed  to  go  thither 
for  water,  as  is  the  practice  of  the  women  of  Nazareth  at  the 
present  day.  Certainly,  as  Dr.  Clarke,  the  traveler,  observes, 
if  there  be  a  spot  throughout  the  holy  land  that  was  un¬ 
doubtedly  honored  by  her  presence,  we  may  consider  this  to 
have  been  the  place ;  because  the  situation  of  a  copious 
spring  is  not  liable  to  change,  and  because  the  custom  of 
repairing  thither  to  draw  water  has  been  continued  among’ 
the  female  inhabitants  of  Nazareth  from  the  earliest  period 
of  its  history.”*  I  always  found  here,  at  whatever  hour  I 
passed  that  way,  a  collection  of  women  filling  their  pitchers 
with  water.  The  well-worn  path  which  leads  out  thither 
from  the  town,  and  which  has  been  trodden  by  the  feet  of  so 
many  generations,  presented  always  a  busy  scene,  from  the 
number  of  those,  hurrying  to  and  fro,  engaged  in  this  labor 
of  water-carrying. 

«  '-i 

WELL  IN  A  COURT. 

In  2  Samuel  IT,  18.  19,  it  is  said  that  a  man  at  Bahurim, 

a  village  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  “  had  a  well  in  his  court,” 

where  he  concealed  Jonathan  and  Ahimaaz  from  the  servants 

of  Absalom  who  were  in  pursuit  of  them.  The  court  was 

that  of  his  house,  and  the  well,  as  Thenius  f  remarks  on  the 

passage,  must  have  been  a  “  waterless  cistern.”  The  Hebrew 

♦ 

*  Travels,  &c.,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  427  (1812). 
t  Die  Backer  Samuels,  erklart  von  Otto  Thenius. 


BURGLARY  AMONG  THE  HEBREWS. 


93 


word  denotes  such  a  well,  rather  than  a  living  fountain,  while 
the  place,  also,  where  it  was  found,  speaks  for  that  view. 

The  present  customs  of  the  country  confirm  this  statement. 
The  house  at  Jerusalem  in.  which  I  resided  had  a  court, 
where  was  a  well,  or  reservoir,  from  which  the  family  ob¬ 
tained  the  water  needed  for  domestic  uses.  Another  house 
there,  occupied  by  an  American  family,  had  three  cisterns, 
in  the  court,  so  arranged  that  when  one  is  full  the  water 
flows  into  another.  All  the  houses,  indeed,  of  the  better  class 
are  furnished  with  such  reservoirs.  Out  of  the  city,  on  the 
north  side  especially,  are  the  ruins  of  numerous  ancient 

houses,  the  cisterns  of  which  still  remain  in  a  state  of  excel- 

* 

lent  preservation.  Nothing  could  more  easily  happen,  than 
that  one  of  these  wells,  in  consequence  of  a  deficiency  in  the 
supply  of  water  during  the  rainy  season,  or  of  some  defect  in  the 
construction,  should  become  dry,  and  it  would  then  answer 
as  a  place  of  retreat,  such  as  David’s  friends  found  in  the 
“  man’s  house  in  Bahurim.”  In  that  instance,  too,  that  they 
might  divert  suspicion  from  the  spot,  they  “  took  and  spread 
a  covering  over  the  well’s  mouth,  and  spread  ground  corn 
thereon  ;  and  the  thing  was  not  known.” 

DIGGING  THROUGH  HOUSES. 

Burglary,  or  house-breaking,  was  accomplished  among  the 
Hebrews  by  a  different  process  from  that  known  to  us.  The 
proper  term  for  describing  that  class  of  criminals  among 
Ahem  would  be,  not  house-breakers,  but  house-diggers.  The 
easiest  way  for  them  to  obtain  clandestine  access  to  houses, 


94 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


as  they  were  built  in  the  common  villages,  was  not  to  force 
the  door  or  pick  the  lock,  but  to  remove  the  cement  or  stones 
of  the  walls,  and  effect  an  entrance  in  that  manner.  In  Egypt, 
and  most  of  the  towns  of  Palestine,  at  the  present  time, 

the  houses  are  built,  not  of  wood  or  stone,  as  we  build  them, 

* 

but  of  mud,  more  or  less  hardened  by  exposure  to  the  Sun, 
or  of  mud  and  pebbles  mixed  together.  This  material  may 
be,  and  sometimes  is,  so  prepared  as  to  be  hard  and  durable; 
but  more  commonly  it  is  put  together  superficially,  and  is 
then  brittle,  crumbles  easily,  and  offers  but  little  resistance  to 
the  elements  of  nature  or  the  hand  of  violence.  In  passing 
through  Egypt,  we  came  one  day  to  the  site  of  a  deserted 
village;  the  houses,  constructed  of  this  frail  material,  had 
fallen  into  heaps  of  rubbish  ;  a  solitary  mosque  overlooked 
the  mouldering  ruins,  but  hardly  a  single  habitation  con¬ 
tinued  to  be  occupied.  At  Damascus,  which  presents  so 
brilliant  an  appearance  as  seen  from  the  heights  of  Anti- 
Lebanon,  the  houses,  on  coming  nearer,  are  found  to  be 
shabby  and  perishable.  Many  of  them  are  built,  not  of  fire- 
burnt  bricks,  but  lumps  of  clay  dried  by  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
One  traveler  says,  that  the  rains  of  a  certain  winter  injured 
greatly  not  less  than  three  thousand  of  these  houses,  and  en¬ 
tirely  ruined  six  hundred  of  them.*  In  summer  they  are 
liable  to  crack  and  crumble,  and,  when  the  wind  blows,  fill 
the  air  with  clouds  of  dust. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  labor  of  digging  through  such  walls 
cannot  be  difficult.  Those  who  wished  to  plunder  a  house 

*  Elliott’s  Travels,  &c.,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  287. 


APPEARANCE  OF  JOHN. 


95 


would  be  apt  to  select  a  place  where  the  partition  was  appar¬ 
ently  thin,  and  then  stealthily  remove  the  stones  or  clay,  so 

♦ 

as  to  open  a  passage.  Hence  we  see  Job’s  meaning  (24,  16) 
when  he  says  of  such  malefactors  :  “In  the  dark  they  dig 
through  houses,  which  they  had  marked  for  themselves  in  the 
day-time.”  In  some  parts  of  our  English  version  “  breaking 
through  ”  should  be  changed  to  “  digging  through.”  Thus,  in 
Matthew  24,  14,  we  should  read  :  “If  the  good  man  of  the 
house  had  known  in  what  watch  the  thief  would  come,  he 
would  have  watched,  and  would  not  have  suffered  his  house  to 
be  dug  through.”  So  in  Matthew  6,  19  :  “  Lay  not  up  for 
yourselves  treasures  upon  earth,  where  thieves  dig  through 
and  steal.”  Job’s  illustration  of  the  frailty  of  human  life  is 
drawn  probably  from  the  idea  of  such  decaying  habitations. 
Mortal  men  “  dwell  in  houses  of  clay,  whose  founda  tion  is  in 
jhe  dust.”  (Job  4,  19.) 

ORDINARY  DRESS  AND  FOOD. 

John,  the  herald  of  Christ,  after  the  example  of  Elijah  his 
prototype,  adopted  a  dress  suited  to  render  his  preaching 
more  effective.  Ilis  appearance  was  stern,  like  the  character 
of  his  warnings,  his  requisitions.  See  Matthew  3,  4,  and 
Mark  1,  10.  We  are  not  to  suppose,  however,  that  hia 

habits  were  altogether  novel,  that  they  had  no  resemblance 

* 

to  those  of  his  countrymen ;  they  were  simple  in  the  highest 
degree  —  partook  of  the  poverty  and  hardship  of  the  lower 
class  of  people,  as  became  one  who  was  to  reform  a  luxuri¬ 
ous,  corrupt  age. 


96 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  peculiarities  in  his  mode  of  life  have  their  counter¬ 
part  in  the  present  habits  of  the  same  class.  The  coat  or 
mantle  of  camel’s  hair  is  seen  still  on  the  shoulders  of  the 

Arab  who  escorts  the  traveler  through  the  desert,  or  of  the 

shepherd  who  tends  his  flocks  on  the  hills  of  Judea,  or  in 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  It  is  made  of  the  thin,  coarse 

hair  of  the  camel,  and  not  of  the  fine  hair,  which  is  manu¬ 

factured  into  a  species  of  rich  cloth.  I  was  told  that  both 
kinds  of  raiment  are  made  on  a  large  scale  at  Nablus,  the 
ancient  Shechem.  The  “  leathern  girdle  ”  may  be  seen 
around  the  body  of  the  common  laborer,  when  fully  dressed, 
almost  anywhere ;  whereas  men  of  wealth  take  special  pride 
in  displaying  a  rich  sash  of  silk  or  some  other  costly  fabric. 

The  “  wild  honey,”  on  which  John  subsisted  in  part,  was 
no  doubt  the  honey  of  wild  bees,  and  not  a  sweet  gum,  known 
under  the  same  designation,  which  flows  from  certain  trees  in 
the  East.  It  is  doubtful  whether  the  trees  which  produce 
“  honey,”  so  called,  ever  grew  in  Palestine,  though  they  are 
said  to  be  very  common  in  Arabia.  On  the  contrary,  bees 
abound  there  still,  not  only  wild,  but  hived,  as  with  us.  I  saw 
a  great  number  of  hives  in  the  old  castle  near  the  Pools  of 
Solomon ;  several,  also,  at  Deburieh,  at  the  foot  of  Tabor ;  and 
again,  at  Mejdel,  the  Magdala  of  the  New  Testament,  on  the 
Lake  of  Tiberias.  Maundrell  *  says  that  he  saw  “  bees  very 
industrious  about  the  blossoms  ”  bet  ween  Jericho  and  the 
Dead  Sea,  which  must  have  been  within  the  limits  of  the 
very  “  desert  ”  in  which  John  “  did  eat  locusts  and  wild 

*  Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerusalem  (1719),  p.  86. 


EATING  OF  LOCUSTS. 


97 


honey.”  As  to  the  locusts,  it  is  well  known  that  the  poorer 
class  of  people  eat  them,  cooked  or  raw,  in  all  the  eastern 
countries  where  they  are  found. 

PURSE  AND  SCRIP. 

As  I  was  one  day  examining  the  tombs  on  the  western 
side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  a  peasant  offered  his  services 
as  a  guide  whose  costume  arrested  my  attention.  He  wore  a 
girdle  around  his  waist,  which  had  an  opening  at  one  end, 
fitting  it  to  hold  money  and  other  valuables,  and  at  the  same 
time  carried  a  pouch  or  bag  in  which  he  could  store  away 
provisions  and  other  things  needed  on  a  journey.  Here, 
beyond  doubt,  I  saw  the  articles  to  which  the  Saviour  refers 
where  he  speaks  of  the  “  purse  and  scrip  which  wayfarers 
were  accustomed  to  take  with  them  as  a  part  of  their  travel¬ 
ing  equipment.  See  Mark  6,  8,  and  Luke  22,  35. 

BURIAL  PLACES. 

The  sepulchres  of  the  Hebrews  were  very  different  from 
those  to  which  the  dead  are  consigned  among  us.  They  were 
generally  cut  out  of  the  solid  rock;  sometimes  below  the 
level  of  the  ground,  but  oftencr  above  the  ground,  and  on 
the  sides  of  mountains.  The  natural  caves,  with  which  the 
country  abounds,  were  also  used  for  this  purpose.  The  allu¬ 
sions  in  the  Bible  to  such  tombs  are  very  numerous.  Abra¬ 
ham  “  buried  Sarah  his  wife  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah,” 
(Genesis  49,  29.)  The  language  of  Isaiah  (22,  1G)  brings 
before  us  a  characteristic  scene  in  the  life  of  the  Hebrews. 

9 


98 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  prophet  comes  with  a  message  to  Shebna,  one  of  the 
officers  of  the  king,  and  accosts  him  thus  :  “  What  hast  thou 
here  ?  and  whom  hast  thou  here,  that  thou  hewest  out  for 
thyself  a  sepulchre,  digging  thy  tomb  on  high,  making  it  in 
the  rock  ?  ”  Pie  finds  the  royal  minister,  at  the  moment  of 
his  visit,  preparing  a  family  tomb.  The  incident  at  Bethel 
affords  a  proof  of  the  same  custom.  “  And  as  the  king 
turned  himself,  he  spied  the  sepulchres  that  were  there  in  the 
mount,  and  sent  and  took  the  bones  out  of  the  sepulchres 
and  burned  them,”  (2  Kings  23,  16.)  They  were  the 
remains  of  the  old  idolaters  who  had  worshipped  the  golden 
calf  which  Jeroboam  set  up  at  Bethel.  Josiah,  in  his  zeal 
for  the  pure  worship  of  Jehovah,  ordered  their  bones  to  be 
dug  up  and  burned.  It  illustrates  the  accuracy  of  Scripture 
that  sepulchres  are  seen  at  the  present  day  in  the  rocky 
heights  around  Bethel.* 

The  grave  of  Lazarus  was,  no  doubt,  a  tomb  of  this 
description.  The  Evangelist  records  that  Joseph  “  took  the 
body  of  the  Saviour  down  from  the  cross,  and  wrapped  him 
in  linen,  and  laid  him  in  a  sepulchre  which  was  hewn  out  of 
a  rock,  and  rolled  a  stone  unto  the  door  of  the  sepulchre,” 
(Mark  15,  46.) 

It  is  a  mournful  sight  to  the  traveler  to  look  up,  as  he 
passes  along  the  base  of  the  mountains,  in  all  parts  of  Pal¬ 
estine,  and  see  the  mouths  of  sepulchres,  once  crowded 
with  the  dead,  but  now  tenantless,  gaping  down  upon  him. 
The  rocks  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley  of  Hinnom  are  full 

*  See  Sinai  und  Golgatha,  von  F.  A.  Strauss,  p.  371. 


TOMBS  OF  TYRE  AND  SIDON. 


99 


of  suck  apertures.  The  western  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives 
contains  many  excavations,  where  formerly  the  dead  were 
buried.  It  took  -me  the  greater  part  of  two  days  to  inspect 
but  slightly  the  rock  tombs  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
Jerusalem.  The  little  village  of  Silwan,  in  the  valley  of 
J ehoshaphat,  on  the  east  of  the  city,  stands  on  the  ground  of 
an  ancient  cemetery.  The  inhabitants  live,  in  part,  in  re¬ 
cesses  dim  out  of  the  rocks,  where  the  dead  of  former  a^res 
have  mouldered  back  to  dust.  Near  Tiberias,  on  the  Sea 
of  Galilee,  I  noticed  that  the  adjacent  hills  were  perforated 
with  such  receptacles.  Every  one  knows  that  Petra,  the 
ancient  capital  of  Edom,  is  visited  with  wonder,  on  account 
of  the  numerous,  and  in  some  instances  splendid,  structures, 
for  the  dead,  built  in  the  cliffs  overhanging  and  surrounding 
that  celebrated  place.  The  deep  gorge,  where  the  Barrada 
forces  its  way  through  the  Anti-Lebanon  mountains  in  its  pro¬ 
gress  to  the  plain  of  Damascus,*  I  found  to  be  remarkable,  in 
this  respect,  beyond  all  expectation.  The  lofty  walls  of  rock 
on  both  sides,  in  some  places  almost  perpendicular,  displayed 
numerous  openings  which  lead  to  catacombs  in  the  moun¬ 
tains.  Some  of  the  tombs  are  at  such  a  point  of  elevation 
that  it  seems  a  wonder  how  they  could  ever  have  been 
approached.  The  road  along  the  Mediterranean,  north  of 
Akka,  carries  the  traveler  past  many  such  graves  hewn  in 
the  rocks  on  the  western  slope  of  the  hills  which  overlook 
the  sea.  Some  of  them  are  as  old,  no  doubt,  as  the  time 
when  Tyre  and  Sidon  flourished  in  their  glory. 

*  Near  the  site  of  Abila,  the  capital  of  Abilene  (Luke  3,  1). 


100 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


A  TOMB  AT  NAZARETH. 

At  the  bottom  of  a  ledge  in  the  rear  of  the  Maronite  church, 
at  Nazareth,  I  noticed  a  sepulchre  cut  in  the  rock,  which 
excited  my  interest  the  more,  because  it  had  a  large  stone 
rolled  against  the  mouth  of  it,  and  because  it  was  apparently 
new,  and  still  occupied.  It  came  nearer,  in  its  exterior,  to  my 
ideal  of  the  tombs  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  than  any 
which  I  had  seen  elsewhere.  The  grave  of  Lazarus  was 
closed  with  a  stone.  The  one  in  which  the  Saviour  was  laid 
was  closed  in  that  manner ;  and  because  the  stone  was  heavy, 
the  women,  who  were  the  first  to  go  to  the  sepulchre,  were 
perplexed  to  know  how  they  should  procure  its  removal.  On 
the  contrary,  most  of  the  tombs  which  I  examined  near  Jeru¬ 
salem  must  have  had  doors.  The  grooves  and  perforations 
for  the  hinges,  that  still  remain,  show  that  they  were  fur¬ 
nished  with  that  convenience.  It  is  possible  that  the  tomb 
used  in  the  case  of  the  Saviour,  which  is  said  to  have  been 
new,  was  not  entirely  finished,  and  the  placing  of  the  stone 
at  the  entrance  may  have  been  a  temporary  expedient. 

AN  ASYLUM. 

At  the  present  time,  the  people  of  the  East  bury,  for  the 
most  part,  in  graves  dug  in  the  earth ;  so  that  the  rock 
tombs  are  seldom  used  for  their  original  purpose.  Their 
size,  since  they  are  as  large  often  as  a  commodious  room, 
and  their  situation  near  the  traveled  paths,  cause  them  to 
be  resorted  to  as  places  of  shelter  for  the  night.  During  the 


GADARA  IDENTIFIED. 


101 


winter  season,  the  wandering  Arabs  sometimes  take  up  their 
permanent  abode  in  them.  Expressions  in  the  Bible  show  that 
some  of  these  tombs  were  applied  to  such  a  use  at  a  very  early 
period.  Isaiah  (65,  4)  speaks  of  a  people  “  that  remain 
among  the  graves,  and  lodge  in  the  monuments.”  We  learn 
from  the  Evangelists  that  insane  persons,  fugitives  or  outcasts 
from  society,  lodged  in  deserted  tombs  among  the  mountains. 
Thus,  as  the  Saviour  on  one  occasion  crossed  the  Lake  of 
Galilee  to  the  country  of  the  Gadarenes,  “  two  men  met  him, 
coming  out  of  the  tombs,  exceeding  fierce,  so  that  no  one 
could  safely  pass  that  way,”  (Matthew  8,  28.)  The  present 
Um  Keis  has  been  identified  as  the  ancient  Gadara.  Near 
there  Burckhardt  *  reports  that  he  found  many  sepulchres 
in  the  rocks,  showing  how  naturally  the  conditions  of  the 
narrative  respecting  the  demoniacs  could  have  been  fulfilled 
in  that  region.  Reliable  writers  state  that  they  have  seen 
lunatics  occupying  such  abodes  of  corruption  and  death. 

raciiel’s  tomb. 

At  the  distance  of  some  twenty  minutes  from  Bethlehem,  on 
the  way  to  Jerusalem,  is  the  reputed  sepulchre  of  Rachel,  the 
wife  of  Jacob.  It  stands  a  few  rods  to  the  left  of  the  direct 
path.  The  present  monument  is  an  unpretending  Turkish 
mosque,  with  a  dome  of  moderate  elevation  at  one  end. 
If  this  edifice  does  not  mark  the  precise  spot  where  Rachel 
lies  buried  (about  which  there  may  be  some  question),  it 
must,  at  all  events,  stand  not  far  from  the  place  to  which 

*  Reisen  in  Syrien,  Vol.  i.,  p.  427. 

9* 


102 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


that  distinction  belongs.  The  biblical  account  states  that 
Jacob  and  his  family  “journeyed  from  Bethel,  and  there  was 
but  a  little  way  to  come  to  Ephrath.  And  Bachel  died  and 
was  buried  on  the  way  to  Ephrath,  which  is  Bethlehem.  And 
Jacob  set  a  pillar  upon  her  grave,  that  is  the  pillar  of 
Rachel’s  grave  unto  this  day,”  (Genesis  35,  16 — 20;  48,  7.) 

The  Jews,  as  would  be .  expected,  regard  the  spot  with 
peculiar  interest.  One  of  them  filled  a  bag  with  earth  col¬ 
lected  near  the  tomb,  and  gave  it  to  one  of  my  traveling  com¬ 
panions  to  bring  home  with  him  to  this  country,  as  a  present 
to  a  brother  of  the  Jew  residing  here.  So  true  is  it,  in  a 
literal  sense,  if  not  yet  spiritually,  that  the  sons  of  Israel, 
wherever  they  wander,  favor  the  stones  of  Zion,  and  take 
pleasure  in  the  dust  thereof.  The  Jews  often  resort  to  this 
tomb  to  pray  and  read  the  history  of  the  founders  of  their 
nation. 


rachael’s  sepulchre. 
STONE  HEAPS. 


The  people  in  the  East  express  their  abhorrence  of  the 
memory  of  an  infamous  person  by  throwing  stones  at  the 
place  where  he  died,  or  was  buried,  or  where  he  committed 


Absalom’s  pillar. 


103 


gome  crime.  These  stones  become  so  numerous,  in  the 
course  of  time,  as  to  form  large  heaps.  An  individual  who 
had  resided  for  some  years  in  the  country,  who  accompanied 
me  from  Bethlehem  to  Hebron,  called  my  attention  to  cer¬ 
tain  stone  heaps  on  the  way,  which,  from  their  peculiar 
appearance,  I  judged  to  have  had  such  an  origin.  In  the 
valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  on  the  east  of  Jerusalem,  is  a  tomb, 
said  to  be  the  “  pillar,”  or  monument,  which  Absalom 
“  reared  for  himself  in  the  king’s  dale,  to  keep  his  name  in 
remembrance,”  (2  Samuel  18,  18.)  It  is  not  uncommon  to 
see  Mohammedans,  and  especially  Jews,  stop  as  they  pass 
here,  pick  up  a  stone  and  throw  it  at  the  tomb,  as  a  testi¬ 
mony  against  Absalom’s  unnatural  conduct  in  rebelling 
against  his  father.  On  the  road  between  Tyre  and  Sidon 
Mr.  Bonar  noticed  a  cairn  or  heap  of  stones  raised  over  the 
body  of  a  slave  who  had  been  executed  on  that  spot  for 
plundering  and  murdering  passengers.  He  was  told  that  it 
is  customary  for  travelers  to  add  a  stone  to  the  heap  as  they 
pass.*  Dr.  Shaw  speaks  of  having  found  such  heaps  com¬ 
mon  not  only  in  the  holy  land,  but  in  Arabia  and  Barbary.t 
He  says  that  they  occur  in  places  where  men  have  been  mur¬ 
dered,  as  well  as  where  those  guilty  of  murder,  or  otherwise 
infamous,  are  buried. 

A  usage  like  this  may  be  traced  back  to  very  early  times. 
A  knowledge  of  the  sin  and  doom  of  Achan  was  perpetuated 
in  this  way.  “  And  all  Israel  stoned  him  with  stones  and 

*  Narrative  of  a  Mission  of  Enquiry  to  the  Jews,  p.  318  (1852). 

t  Travels  in  Barbary  and  the  Levant,  Vol.  i.,  Preface,  xvm. 


104 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


burned  him  with  fire ;  —  and  they  raised  over  him  a  great 
heap  of  stones  unto  this  day,”  (Joshua  7,  25.)  The  King 
of  Ai  had  a  similar  sepulchre.  “  As  soon  as  the  sun  was 
down,  Joshua  commanded  that  they  should  take  his  carcass 
down  from  the  tree  ”  (where  he  had  been  hanged)  “  and  cast 
it  at  the  entering  of  the  gate  of  the  city,  and  raise  thereon  a 
great  heap  of  stones,  that  remaineth  unto  this  day,”  (Joshua 
8,  29.)  We  read,  also,  that  “they  took  Absalom,  and  cast 
him  into  a  great  pit  in  the  wood,  and  laid  a  very  great  heap 
of  stones  upon  him ;  and  all  Israel  fled  every  one  to  his 
tent,”  (2  Samuel  18,  17.)  In  these  instances  the  stones 
heaped  together  at  the  outset  were  increased,  no  doubt, 
according  to  the  still  existing  custom,  by  the  gradual  accu¬ 
mulation  of  other  stones,  which  passers-by  added  to  them. 

AN  EASTERN  BED. 

In  returning  to  Jerusalem  from  an  expedition  to  the  Dead 
Sea,  I  lodged  a  night  in  the  convent  of  Mar  Saba,  so 
romantically  situated  on  the  banks  of  the  water-course  of  the 
Kidron.  The  bed  provided  for  me  consisted  merely  of  a 
bolster  and  a  blanket  spread  on  the  floor.  The  latter  could 
be  drawn  partially  over  the  body  if  any  one  wished,  though 
the  expectation  seemed  to  be  that  we  should  sleep  in  our 
ordinary  dress,  without  any  additional  covering.  Such  a 
bed  is,  obviously,  a  portable  one  ;•  it  is  easy  to  take  it  up, 
fold  it  together,  and  carry  it  from  place  to  place,  as  con¬ 
venience  may  require. 

The  allusions  in  the  Bible  show  that  the  couches  or  beds 


FLOCKS  OF  SHEEP. 


105 


in  use  among  the  Jews  were  of  different  kinds ;  that  they 
were  more  or  less  simple,  more  or  less  expensive,  according  to 
the  rank  and  circumstances  of  different  persons.  Anciently, 
however,  as  at  the  present  time  in  the  East,  the  common 
people  slept  on  a  light  mattress  or  blanket,  with  a  pillow, 
perhaps,  but  without  any  other  appendage.  The  term  “  bed  ” 
has  this  meaning  in  various  passages.  It  was  an  article  of 
this  description  that  the  paralytic  used  whom  the  Saviour 
directed  to  “rise,  take  up  his  bed  and  walk,”  (Mark  2,  9.) 
It  is  customary  now  for  those  who  use  such  pallets  to  roll 
them  up  in  the  morning  and  lay  them  aside  till  they  have 
occasion  to  spread  them  out  again  for  the  next  night’s  repose. 
It  is  necessary  to  bear  in  mind  this  difference  between  east¬ 
ern  customs  and  our  own,  in  order  to  account  for  certain 
statements  in  the  New  Testament.  We  read  that,  on  several 
occasions,  friends  of  the  sick  laid  them  on  beds,  and  brought 
them  in  this  situation  to  Christ  and  the  apostles,  to  be  healed 
of  their  diseases. 


CURSING  ONE’S  ANCESTORS. 

Just  beyond  El-Arish,  the  last  town  in  Egypt  before  enter¬ 
ing  Palestine,  we  saw,  at  a  little  distance  from  our  path,  a 
flock  of  sheep,  so  immensely  large  as  to  excite  our  wonder. 
For  the  sake  of  getting  a  better  view  we  turned  aside  and 
went  towards  them.  Three  women  were  watching  them  ; 
on  our  approach  they  fled,  gesticulating  fiercely  as  they  went, 
and  pouring  out  a  volley  of  words  almost  terrific.  On 
coming  back,  I  asked  the  dragoman  what  the  women  had 


106 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


been  saying  so  earnestly,  and  received  for  answer  that  they 
had  been  cursing  my  father  and  mother,  and  grandfather,  and 
all  my  ancestors.  I  might  have  felt  much  worse  had  I 
understood  all  this  ;  but,  fortunately,  they  had  spoken  to 
deaf  ears. 

Such  a  mode  of  resenting  an  affront  belongs  to  the  eastern 
character.  We  find,  at  least,  one  trace  of  the  same  habit  in 
the  Bible.  In  1  Samuel  20,  30,  we  read  that  “  Saul’s  anger 
was  kindled  against  Jonathan,  and  he  said  unto  him,  Thou 
son  of  the  perverse,  rebellious  woman.”  Saul  was  not  angry 
with  his  wife ;  it  was  not  the  mother  whom  he  would 
reproach ;  he  would  represent  the  son  as  blameworthy,  and 
meant  by  that  mode  of  address  to  vent  his  indignation  on 
him.  A  principle  not  discreditable  to  human  nature  lies  at 
the  bottom  of  this.  It  supposes  it  to  be  more  offensive  to  a 
correct  filial  instinct  to  hear  the  name  or  memory  of  one’s 
parents  insulted,  than  to  bear  the  reproach  in  one’s  own  per¬ 
son.  “  Strike  ??ze,”  said  the  servant  of  a  traveler  in  the 
East,  “  but  do  not  curse  my  mother.” 

USE  OF  ORNAMENTS. 

The  employment  of  these  women  showed  how  unchanged 
the  pastoral  habits  of  the  country  have  been  through  suc¬ 
cessive  ages.  In  the  days  of  the  patriarchs,  also,  females 
were  entrusted  often  with  the  care  of  the  flocks.  As  Jacob 
stood  at  the  well  of  Haran,  to  which  the  shepherds  of  the 
neighborhood  resorted,  Bachel,  it  is  said,  “  came  with  her 
father’s  sheep  ;  for  she  kept  them,”  (Genesis  29,  9.) 


TOILET  OE  HEBREW  WOMEN. 


107 


Again,  their  dress,  their  personal  attire,  illustrated  another 
custom  or  taste  of  the  .ancient  daughters  of  the  land.  The 
women  of  whom  I  have  spoken  wore  a  profusion  of  orna¬ 
ments  but  poorly  in  keeping  with  their  occupation,  if  we 
may  apply  to  them  our  own  ideas  of  the  graceful  and  the 
becoming.  Their  heads,  arms  and  ankles,  were  loaded  with 
chains  and  bracelets,  which,  though  we  were  not  near  enough 
to  judge  of  their  intrinsic  value,  certainly  gave  to  their  pos¬ 
sessors  at  a  distance  a  very  resplendent  appearance.  The 
sight  brought  up  vividly  before  me  the  image  of  Rebekah  as 
she  went  home  from  the  well,  wearing  the  rich  presents 
which  Eleazar  had  bestowed  on  her ;  “  a  golden  ear-ring,  of 
half  a  shekel  weight,  and  two  bracelets  on  her  hands,  of  ten 
shekels  weight  of  gold,”  (Genesis  24,  22.)  Her  allowing 
herself  to  be  arrayed  in  this  manner,  at  such  a  time,  shows 
that  it  was  common  for  females  to  appear  abroad  in  such 
splendor,  even  when  engaged  in  the  coarser  labors  which  their 
social  position  devolved  on  them.  If  the  reader  is  curious  to 
know  how  far  the  Hebrew  women  carried-  their  love  of  deco¬ 
ration,  he  may  consult  the  latter  part  of  the  third  chapter 
of  Isaiah.  He  will  find  there  the  oldest  description  of  a 
lady’s  toilet  which  has  come  down  to  us.  The  fashions  of 
modern  life  could  hardly  furnish  a  fuller  catalogue  of  the 
trinkets  used  for  adorning  the  person  than  the  one  recorded 
in  that  passage. 

AN  ADVENTURE  AT  EL-BIREH. 

At  the  present  day,  women  in  the  East  are  rarely  seen 
abroad,  whatever  may  be  their  rank  in  life,  without  being 


103 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


decked  with  jewelry,  or  the  semblance  of  jewelry,  of  some 
kind.  They  often  convert  (so  it  is  said)  all  their  prop¬ 
erty  into  such  articles,  and  wear  them  on  their  persons.  A 
string  of  coins,  in  particular,  plaited  like  a  chain  and  hung 
across  the  forehead  and  down  the  sides  of  the  face,  forms, 
quite  universally,  a  part  of  their  ordinary  attire.  It  is 
wanting  only  in  cases  of  extreme  poverty. 

Such  ornaments  descend  in  families  as  a  sacred  legacy 
from  mother  to  daughter.  Nothing  can  exceed  the  jealousy 
with  which  they  guard  the  possession  of  these  treasures.  On 
a  certain  occasion  a  trifling  incident  brought  out  an  exhi¬ 
bition  of  this  feeling  in  our  presence,  which  it  may  not  be  out 
of  place  to  mention.  As  we  were  traveling  from  Jerusalem 
northward,  we  stopped  for  a  few  moments  at  El-Bireh,  which 
means  the  Well,  the  Beer  or  Beeroth  spoken  of  in  Judges 
9,  21.  Several  females  were  there  washing  a  heap  of  clothes 
in  the  little  stream  which  issues  from  the  well,  beating  them 
with  clubs  such  as  they  are  accustomed  to  use  for  that  pur¬ 
pose.  They  all  wore  the  occipital  ornament,  the  string  of 
coins,  which  I  have  mentioned  as  so  common  there.  One  of 
our  number,  influenced  by  an  inconsiderate  curiosity,  stepped 
forward  towards  one  of  the  younger  women,  and  extended 
his  hand  to  examine  the  coins  about  her  head,  in  order  to  see 
whether  they  were  Turkish,  or  Jewish,  or  Boman,  or  what 
they  were.  A  terrible  outburst  of  indignation  followed  this 
act.  The  offended  damsel  shrieked  out  at  the  top  of  her 
voice,  brandished  her  weapon  in  a  menacing  manner,  and 
invoked  the  aid  of  the  other  women,  already  showing  une- 


THE  SAVIOUR  IN  THE  GARDEN. 


109 


quivocal  signs  of  rage,  to  shield  her  against  the  aggressor. 
It  could  not  be  expected  that  the  scales  of  victory  would 
waver  long  in  such  a  contest.  Without  confessing  in  so 
many  words  that  we  fled,  we  certainly  did  not  think  it  best 
to  dispute  the  field  tenaciously.  The  case  seemed  to  call  for 

the  exercise  of  that  discretion  which  is  said  to  be  the  better 

#  • 

part  of  valor. 

POSTURE  IN  PRAYER. 

The  common  attitude  of  worshippers  in  the  East  is 
kneeling,  with  the  upper  part  of  the  body  now  erect,  and 
then  thrown  forward,  so  as  to  bring  the  head  in  contact 
with  the  earth  ;  they  alternate  between  the  one  posture  and 
the  other.  In  this  case,  it  will  be  observed,  the  worshipper 
remains  on  his  knees,  even  when  he  bends  forward,  with  his 
face  to  the  ground  or  the  floor.  It  is  remarkable  that  three 
of  the  Evangelists,  in  speaking  of  the  posture  of  the  Saviour 
during  his  prayer  in  the  garden,  use  three  different  expres¬ 
sions.  Luke  says  (22,  41)  that  our  Lord  knelt  down;  Mark 
(14,  25),  that  he  fell  upon  the  earth;  and  Matthew  (26, 
39),  that  he  fell  upon  his  face. 

In  regard  to  the  last  two  writers  the  variation  seems  to 
be  only  verbal ;  but  how  are  they  consistent  with  Luke  ?  It 
is  quite  possible  that  their  different  expressions  refer  to  dif¬ 
ferent  parts  of  the  same  act.  The  Saviour,  habituated  to 
the  customary  forms  of  worship,  may  have  bowed  his  knees, 
and,  without  changing  that  position,  may  also  have  stooped 
forward,  and  inclined  his  face  to  the  earth.  This  explanation 

10 


110 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


conciliates  entirely  the  Evangelists  with  each  other,  and 
accords  with  the  manner  in  which  prayer  is  still  offered.  In 
Genesis  17,  3  it  is  said  that  Abraham,  as  he  worshipped 
God,  “  fell  upon  his  face  ”  before  him.  This  may  have  been 
a  similar  act,  including  the  kneeling,  as  well  as  the  prostra¬ 
tion,  though  the  latter  only  is  mentioned.  Another  view  is, 
which  appears  to  me  less  simple,  that  our  Lord  knelt  down  at 
first,  and  then  afterwards,  as  he  became  more  earnest  in  his 
supplications,  changed  his  posture,  and  lay  prostrate  on  the 
earth. 

FUNERAL  RITES. 

Near  Pompey’s  Pillar,  so  called,  at  Alexandria,  is  an 
extensive  burying  ground  of  the  Mohammedan  inhabitants. 
On  the  first  day  of  my  arrival  there,  as  I  was  passing  that 
cemetery,  I  saw,  at  a  distance,  a  large  company  of  people 
assembled  around  one  of  the  tombs,  and  could  hear  a  con¬ 
fused  cry  of  voices,  proceeding  from  those  who  were  uttering 
their  lamentations  over  the  dead  whom  they  had  come  to 
bury.  Mr.  Lane,  who  has  given  so  authentic  an  account  of 
the  manners  of  the  modern  Egyptians,  says  that,  at  funerals, 
women,  related  to  the  deceased,  to  the  number  of  a  dozen  or 
more,  are  accustomed  to  walk  behind  the  bier,  crying  and 
shrieking  as  they  proceed ;  and,  also,  that  persons  hired  to 
act  as  mourners  often  accompany  them,  whose  office  it  is  to 
bewail  the  dead,  and  extol  their  merits. 

At  Khan  Yunus,  our  first  town  on  entering  Syria,  where 
our  quarantine  began,  we  were  put  under  the  care  of  a  health 
officer,  and,  by  an  odd  arrangement  (the  superstitious  might 


MOURNING  FOR  JACOB. 


Ill 


have  thought  it  a  bad  omen),  were  directed  to  pitch  our  tents 
in  a  grave-yard.  It  was  Friday  when  we  arrived  there,  the 
Sabbath  of  the  Mohammedans,  when  they  are  in  the  habit 
of  visiting  the  cemeteries,  as  one  of  the  stated  observances 
of  the  day.  We  found  here  a  great  number  of  women, 
seated  at  the  graves,  most  of  them  dressed  in  white  robes, 
and  looking,  in  such  a  place,  almost  as  if  they  might  have 
been  the  ghosts  of  the  departed,  still  flitting  about  the  haunts 
of  the  living.  The  next  morning,  too,  before  sunrise,  sev¬ 
eral  of  them  made  their  appearance  again,  and,  taking  their 
stand  at  one  of  the  graves,  lifted  up  their  voices  and  shrieked 
and  wept  for  a  long  time,  till  the  want  of  strength  seemed  to 
oblige  them  to  give  over  the  effort. 

The  mode  of  testifying  respect  for  the  memory  of  the 
dead  in  early  times  must  have  been  essentially  the  same. 
When  Joseph  and  his  brethren,  on  the  decease  of  Jacob 
their  father,  were  carrying  up  the  body  for  burial  at  Hebron, 
they  stopped  at  “the  threshing-floor  of  Atad,  beyond  Jordan, 
and  there  they  mourned  with  a  great  and  very  sore  lamenta¬ 
tion.  And  the  inhabitants  of  the  land,  when  they  saw  the 
mourning,  said,  This  is  a  grievous  mourning  to  the  Egyp¬ 
tians,”  (Genesis  50,  10.  11.)  The  prophet  Jeremiah  refers 
evidently  to  a  class  of  women  employed  to  act  as  public 
mourners,  when  he  says  (9,  IT.  18)  : 

“  Give  ear  !  Call  the  mourning  women,  that  they  come, 

And  to  the  skilful  women  send,  that  they  come  ; 

Let  them  hasten,  and  lift  up  the  lamentation  oyer  us. 


112 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


That  our  eyes  may  run  with  tear's. 

And  our  eyelids  may  flow  with  water.” 

AN  OPEN  BIER. 

I  was  one  day  examining  the  inscriptions  on  the  grave¬ 
stones  in  the  Armenian  and  Latin  cemeteries,  on  the  southern 
part  of  Mount  Zion,  when  I  perceived,  from  some  prepara¬ 
tions  going  forward,  that  a  burial  was  about  to  take  place. 
I  prolonged  my  stay  for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  the  cere¬ 
mony.  Presently  a  funeral  procession,  consisting  of  men 
and  women,  came  rapidly  from  the  city,*  and  halted  at  a 
newly-made  grave  sunk  three  or  four  feet  only  below  the 
ground.  The  body  was  not  enclosed  in  a  coffin,  but  wrapped 
in  a  loose  garment  and  laid  on  a  bier  carried  by  hand.  My 
impression  is  that  even  the  face  was  partially  exposed  to 
view. 

It  was  under  similar  circumstances  that  the  son  of  the 
widow  at  Nain  was  borne  to  the  grave.  In  that  case,  too, 
the  cemetery  was  outside  of  the  town.  The  body,  also,  must 
have  been  placed  on  an  open  bier,  and  have  been  unconfined ; 
for  the  compassionate  Saviour,  when  he  saw  the  mother’s 
distress,  “  came  and  touched  the  bier,”  and  at  his  word, 
“  Arise,”  “  he  that  was  dead  sat  up  and  began  to  speak.” 
The  cases  were  parallel  in  another  particular.  The  account 
says  that  on  perceiving  our  Lord’s  design  to  interpose,  “  they 
that  bare  the  body  stood  still.”  On  the  occasion  referred  to 
there  was,  at  least,  one  mourner  present,  who  showed  by  her 
emotion  that  the  death  which  had  opened  that  grave  had 

*  The  burial  -place  lies  outside  of  the  present  Jerusalem, 


A  MYSTERIOUS  CRY. 


113 


come  specially  near  to  her.  See  the  narrative  of  the  raising 
of  the  widow’s  son  in  Luke  7,  12— 15. 

SCENE  IN  THE  HOUSE  OF  JAIRUS. 

During  my  stay  at  Jerusalem  I  frequently  heard  a  singu¬ 
lar  cry  issuing  from  the  houses  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
place  where  I  lodged,  or  from  those  on  the  streets  through 
wThich  I  passed.  It  was  to  be  heard  at  all  hours  —  in  the 
morning,  at  noonday,  at  evening,  or  in  the  deep  silence  of 
night.  For  some  time  I  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  the 
cause  of  this  strange  interruption  of  the  stillness  which, 
for  the  most  part,  hangs  so  oppressively  over  the  lonely  city. 
Had  it  not  been  so  irregular  in  its  occurrence,  I  might  have 
supposed  it  to  indicate  some  festive  occasion ;  for  the  tones 
of  voice  (yet  hardly  tones  so  much  as  shrieks),  used  for  the 
expression  of  different  feelings,  sound  so  much  alike  to  the  un¬ 
practised  ear,  that  it  is  not  easy  always  to  distinguish  the 
mournful  and  the  joyous  from  each  other.  I  ascertained,  at 
length,  that  this  peculiar  cry  was,  no  doubt,  jn  most  instances, 
the  signal  of  the  death  of  some  person  in  the  house  from  which 
it  was  heard.  It  is  customary,  when  a  member  of  the  family 
is  about  to  die,  for  the  friends  to  assemble  around  him,  and 
watch  the  ebbing  awTay  of  life,  so  as  to  remark  the  precise 
moment  when  he  breathes  his  last ;  upon  which  they  set  up 
instantly  a  united  outcry,  attended  with  weeping,  and  often 
with  beating  upon  the  breast,  and  tearing  out  the  hair  of  the 
head.  This  lamentation  they  repeat  at  other  times,  especially 
the  funeral,  both  during  the  procession  to  the  grave  and 
10# 


at 


114 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


after  the  arrival  there ;  as  they  commit  the  remains  to  their 
last  resting-place. 

The  narratives  of  the  New  Testament  remind  us  of  simi¬ 
lar  scenes  in  the  days  of  the  Saviour.  Let  us  note  the 
circumstances  of  one  of  them.  Our  Lord  was  discoursing 
one  day  to  a  crowd  on  the  shore  of  the  Lake  of 'Tiberias, 
when  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue  from  Capernaum  besought 
him  to  repair  to  his  house,  and  heal  his  daughter,  who  was 
at  the  point  of  death.  He  started  to  accompany  the  anxious 
father,  but  was  met  on  the  way  with  a  message  that  the  child 
was  dead,  and  that  his  coming  would  be  of  no  avail.  With¬ 
out  regarding  this  information,  he  went  forward,  and  on 
arriving  at  the  house,  says  the  Evangelist,  he  “  beheld'  a 
tumult,  and  them  that  wept  and  wailed  greatly.”  On  per¬ 
ceiving  this,  “  he  saith  unto  them,  Why  are  ye  making  an 
outcry  and  weeping  ?  The  damsel  is  not  dead,  but  sleepeth  ;  ” 
because,  relatively  to  his  power,  death  was  merely  a  slumber  ; 
he  had  only  to  speak  the  word,  and  the  lifeless  rose  at  once 
to  consciousness  and  activity.  He  employs  a  similar  ex¬ 
pression  in  regard  to  the  state  of  Lazarus,  which,  the  sacred 
writer  says  expressly,  was  spoken  of  his  death.  See  John 
11,  11,  sq.  How  exactly,  at  the  moment  of  the  Saviour’s 
arrival,  did  the  house  of  Jairus  correspond  with  the  condition 
of  one,  at  the  present  time,  in  which  a  death  has  just  taken 
place  !  It  resounded  with  the  same  boisterous  expression  of 
grief,  for  which  the  natives  of  the  East  are  still  noted.  The 
lamentation  must  have  commenced,  also,  at  the  instant  of  the 
child’s  decease  ;  for  when  Jesus  arrived  he  found  the  mourn- 


MINSTRELS  EMPLOYER. 


115 


ers  already  present,  and  singing  the  death-dirge.  See  Mark 
5,  22,  sq. 

The  account  discloses  another  mark  of  accuracy  which 
may  be  worth  pointing  out.  Matthew  (9,  23)  speaks  of 
“  minstrels  ”  as  taking  part  in  the  tumult.  The  use  of 
instruments  of  music  at  such  times  is  not  universal,  but 
depends  on  the  circumstances  of  the  family.  It  involves 
some  expense,  which  cannot  always  be  afforded.  Mr.  Lane 
mentions  that  it  is  chiefly  at  the  funerals  of  the  rich  among 
the  Egyptians  that  musicians  are  employed  to  contribute 
their  part  to  the  mournful  celebration.  The  “  minstrels,” 
therefore,  appear  very  properly  in  this  particular  history. 
Jairus,  the  father  of  the  damsel  whom  Christ  restored  to 
life,  since  he  was  a  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  must  have  been 
a  person  of  some  rank  among  his  countrymen.  In  such  a 
family  the  most  decent  style  of  performing  the  last  sad 
offices  would  be  observed. 

EARLY  HOURS. 

In  reading  the  account  of  the  Saviour’s  trial  and  cruci- 
fixion,  it  must  appear  singular,  to  one  without  a  knowledge 
of  the  habits  of  the  East,  that  so  much  connected  with  that 
occasion  should  have  been  accomplished  before  sunrise,  or  a 
little  later.  We  find  that  the  Jews  and  the  Romans  who 
took  part  in  the  affair  were  astir  on  that  eventful  morning 
at  hours  when  it  would  be  impossible,  under  our  arrange¬ 
ments  for  the  transaction  of  business,  to  secure  the  attend¬ 
ance  of  public  bodies  and  magistrates.  Some  of  the  things, 


116 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


it  is  true  —  (I  refer  to  Christ’s  apprehension,  and,  perhaps,  the 
interview  with  Annas)  —  may  have  been  done  at  an  unseasona¬ 
ble  time,  even  as  compared  with  the  early  hours  of  the  East. 
But  this  remark  will  not  apply  to  other  parts  of  the  trial. 
We  read,  for  instance,  that  a  session  of  the  Sanhedrim,  fully 
attended,  was  held  as  soon  as  it  was  day  (Luke  22,  66,  com¬ 
pared  with  Mark,  15  1) ;  and  that  Christ’s  various  examina¬ 
tions  before  that  body,  and  before  Pilate  and  Herod,  were  all 
concluded,  so  that,  as  Mark  states  (15,  25),  it  was  only 
the  third  hour,  that  is,  nine  o’clock  in  the  morning,  according 
to  our  time,  when  the  Saviour  was  crucified.  Such  despatch, 
evidently,  would  be  impossible  in  many  countries,  and  if 
related  as  having  taken  place  there  in  connection  with  a  simi¬ 
lar  history, 'would  give  to  the  account  an  air  of  improba¬ 
bility.  On  the  other  hand,  the  early  activity  of  the  Jews 
in  carrying  forward  their  measures  against  Christ  appears 
entirely  in  place,  when  we  transfer  the  occurrence  to  its 
proper  scene ;  it  serves,  indeed,  to  authenticate  the  narrative 
as  true. 

During  a  great  part  of  the  year,  in  Palestine,  the  heat 
becomes  so  great  a  few  hours  after  sunrise  as  to  render  any 
strenuous  labor  inconvenient.  The  early  morning,  therefore, 
is  the  proper  time  for  work  ;  midday  is  given  up,  as  far  as 
may  be  possible,  to  rest,  or  employments  which  do  not 
require  exposure  to  the  sun.  The  arrangements  of  life 
adjust  themselves  to  this  character  of  the  climate.  It  hap¬ 
pened  to  me  often  to  observe  how  universal  was  the  habit  of 
early  rising.  Men  and  women  may  be  seen  going  forth  to 


STARTING  AT  SUNRISE. 


117 


* 


their  labors  in  tne  field,  or  starting  on  journeys,  at  the  ear¬ 
liest  break  of  day.  Frequently  companies  of  muleteers, 
carrying  merchandise  from  one  part  of  the  country  to 
another,  encamped  at  night  on  the  same  ground  with  us. 
Our  usual  time  for  setting  off  was  sunrise  ;  but  we  found, 
quite  invariably,  that  they  had  risen,  packed  up  and  departed, 
before  we  were  ready  to  move.  The  night  was  still  strug¬ 
gling  with  day  when  I  left  the  menzel  at  Seleh,*  but  groups 
of  females,  equipped  with  hoe  and  mattock,  were  already 
wending  their  way  to  the  fields,  to  begin  their  daily  toil. 
Being  anxious  at  Jerusalem  to  attend  the  services  of  a  Jew¬ 
ish  synagogue,  I  was  summoned  to  rise  for  that  purpose 
before  it  was  light.  In  one  instance  I  went  thither  at  an 
early  hour,  as  we  should  call  it,  but  found  myself  too  late ; 
the  service  was  ended,  the  people  gone,  and  the  synagogue 
closed  for  the  day. 

If  any  one  has  not  attended  to  this  point,  and  will  look 
into  a  Concordance  of  the  English  Scriptures,  he  will  be  sur¬ 
prised  to  notice  how  often  mention  is  made  of  the  “  early 
morning  ”  as  the  time  for  beginning  the  labors  of  the  day. 
Thus,  “  Abraham  rose  up  early  in  the  morning,”  when  he 
went  to  offer  Isaac  on  Moriah-,  (Genesis  22,  3.)  “  Jacob  rose 
up  early  in  the  morning  and  set  up  a  pillar,”  (Genesis  28, 
18.)  “  Moses  rose  early  in  the  morning,  and  built  an  altar,” 
(Exodus  34,  4.)  When  the  servant  of  Elisha  “  was  risen 
early  and  gone  forth,  behold,  a  host  encompassed  the  city,” 
(2  Kings  6,  15.)  “Thou  art  my  God,”  says  the  Psalmist, 

*  See  on  page  58  of  this  work. 


♦ 


118 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


(63,  1),  “  early  will  I  seek  thee.”  The  apostles  “  entered 
into  the  temple  early  in  the  morning  and  taught,”  (Acts  5, 
21.)  Scores  of  other  examples  might  be  added  to  these. 

USE  OF  THE  WORD  “  BROTHER.” 

The  application  of  this  word  in  the  Scriptures  is  much 
more  extensive  than  it  is  in  the  languages  of  the  western 
nations.  The  manner  in  which  it  is  sometimes  employed 
has  not  only  excited  surprise,  but  seemed  almost  to  justify 
the  charge  of  inadvertence  or  inconsistency  on  the  part  of  the 
sacred  writers.  Thus,  in  Genesis  14,  16,  Lot  is  called  the 
brother  of  Abraham;  but  in  Genesis  11,  31,  he  is  said  to  have 
been  his  brother’s  son,  namely,  his  nephew.  In  Genesis  29, 
11,  Jacob  tells  Rachel  that  he  was  “her  father’s  brother;”  but 
according  to  Genesis  28,  6,  Laban  was  not  Jacob’s  brother, 
as  we  use  the  term,  but  the  brother  of  Rebekah,  his  mother. 
The  word  has  a  loose  sense,  probably,  in  Galatians  1,  19. 
In  2  Samuel  19,  13,  “  brother  ”  denotes  a  person  of  the 
same  tribe ;  in  Judges  14,  3,  one  of  the  same  country,  and 
in  Job  6,  15,  a  friend  or  associate.  Other  examples  might 
be  added  to  these. 

# 

Rut  this  use  of  the  term,  foreign  as  it  is  to  our  mode  of 
employing  it,  is  entirely  consistent  with  the  practice  of  the 
East  at  the  present  day.  The  Orientals  extend  the  term 
“  brother,”  so  far  at  least  as  the  name  is  concerned,  not  only 
to  remote  degrees  of  relationship,  as  uncles,  cousins,  nephews, 
but  to  friends  and  acquaintances  where  there  is  no  bond  of 
natural  affinity.  As  I  was  on  the  eve  of  leaving  Alexandria, 


A  MISTAKE  MADE. 


119 


a  Syrian  came  to  me,  and  commended  to  my  special  favor  the 
person  who  had  been  engaged  as  dragoman  for  the  journey  to 
Palestine,  alleging,  as  a  reason  for  manifesting  so  much 
interest  in  his  behalf,  that  the  man  was  his  brother.  Some 
days  after  this  I  was  making  some  inquiry  of  the  dragoman 
respecting  his  brother,  in  terms  which  showed  that  I  had 
understood  the  word  in  its  strictest  sense.  “  But  you  are 
mistaken,”  said  the  dragoman  ;  “  the  man  is  not  my  brother 
in  that  sense  ;  he  is  only  a  fellow-townsman  and  a  friend.” 
In  some  passages  of  the  Bible  it  is  difficult  to  determine  the 
exact  meaning  which  should  be  assigned  to  the  word  in 
question. 

THE  NILE  A  SEA. 

The  subject  of  the  last  paragraph  suggests  one  or  two 
other  expressions,  which  illustrate  or  confirm  the  idiom  of 
the  Scriptures.  It  may  be  as  well  to  insert  them  here  as 
anywhere.  The  people  of  the  East  apply  the  word  “  sea  ” 
not  only  to  inland  collections  of  water,  as  Bahr  el-Lut,  the 
Sea  of  Lot,  our  Bead  Sea  (a  usage  which  we  follow),  Bahr 
el-Merjun,  Sea  of  the  Meadows,  a  lake  in  the  plain  of  Da¬ 
mascus,  but  to  large  rivers,  especially  the  Nile.  The  boat¬ 
men  on  that  river  constantly  speak  of  it  under  that  designa¬ 
tion.  This  custom  explains  Nahum  3,  8,  where  the  prophet 
speaks  of  No,  called  Thebes  by  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  as 
surrounded  by  the  sea,  though  it  was  situated  in  Upper 
Egypt  on  the  Nile.  Addressing  Nineveh,  he  says : 

“  Art  thou  better  than  No- Ammon, 

Who  dwelt  by  the  rivers? 


120 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  waters  were  round  about  her, 

Whose  fortress  was  the  sea, 

A  sea  was  her  wall, 

Cush  was  her  strength,  and  Egypt,  numbers  without  end.” 

THE  NAME  OP  EGYPT. 

The  origin  of  the  term  Egypt  is  not  certainly  known. 
It  does  not  occur  in  the  original  language  of  the  Old 
Testament,  the  name  there  being  uniformly  Mizraim,  or  the 
land  of  Mizraim.  It  is  remarkable  that  this  latter  term, 
which  never  passed  into  the  western  languages,  or,  at  least, 
a  fragment  of  the  term,  exists  still  among  the  modern  Egypt¬ 
ians.  They  know  the  country  only  as  Misr,  allied,  unques¬ 
tionably,  to  the  old  Semitic  or  Hebrew  appellation. 

SPORTS  OP  CHILDREN. 

“  When  I  was  a  child,”  said  the  Apostle  Paul,  “  I  spake 
as  a  child,  I  understood  as  a  child,  I  thought  as  a  child,” 
(1  Corinthians  13,  11.)  Some  one  has  remarked  that  cus¬ 
toms  are  handed  down  from  age  to  age  with  less  change 
among  boys  than  through  any  other  medium.  The  transmis¬ 
sion  of  the  same  sports  among  them,  not  only  in  the  same 
countries,  but  in  different  countries  and  nations,  affords,  per¬ 
haps,  some  confirmation  of  this  remark.  At  an  hour’s  dis¬ 
tance  from  Nazareth,  on  the  way  to  the  Sea  of  Tiberias,  we 
came  to  Er-Peineh,  a  small  village  inhabited  by  Greek  Chris¬ 
tians  and  Mussulmans.  It  was  quite  an  unexpected  sight  to 
me  here  to  look  up  and  see  a  paper  kite  floating  gracefully 
in  the  air.  A  boy  was  amusing  himself  with  it.  The  frame, 


FLYING  OF  KITES.  121 

shape  and  pendant,  gave  to  it  exactly  the  appearance  of  one 
of  our  Yankee  kites.  I  recognized  elsewhere  some  of  the 
diversions  familiar  to  childhood.  At  Zebedany,  a  village  on 
Anti-Lebanon,  I  saw  a  group  of  boys  playing  leap-frog ;  at 
Kerak,  near  the  eastern  foot  of  Lebanon,  I  saw  them  playing 
ball ;  and  at  another  place,  the  name  of  which  I  have  not 
noted,  I  saw  them  playing  hop-scotch. 

11 


CHAPTER  III- 


CLIMATE,  SOIL,  AND  PRODUCTIONS. 

It  will  be  understood  that  it  is  no  part  of  ray  design  to 
present  a  fall  account  of  the  subjects  named  in  the  title  of 
this  chapter.  As  in  the  preceding  pages,  so  here,  the  notices 
are  altogether  fragmentary,  and  are  intended  merely  to  recall 
a  few  facts  here  and  there,  under  the  particular  heads  to 
which  they  are  referred,  for  the  purpose  of  connecting  them 
with  the  passages  or  statements  of  Scripture  which  they  are 
suited  to  illustrate.  I  arrived  at  Alexandria  on  the  second 
of  March,  by  the  way  of  Italy  and  Malta,  and  remained  in 
Egypt,  or  parts  of  Western  Asia,  until  the  middle  of  June. 
These  months  constitute,  unquestionably,  the  most  favorable 
and  interesting  period  for  visiting  that  portion  of  the  world ; 
except  that  one  should  be  there  a  few  weeks  earlier,  if  he 
would  extend  his  journey  far  into  Upper  Egypt.  Most  of 
the  remarks  in  this  chapter  and  the  succeeding  one  relate, 
necessarily,  to  that  division  of  the  year.  We  are  to  glance, 
therefore,  at  a  few  only  of  the  many-sided  connections  of  the 
Bible  with  the  operations  of  nature,  and  the  varied  employ¬ 
ments  of  men,  as  affected  by  the  succession  of  summer  and 
winter,  seed-time  and  harvest.  Of  course,  the  other  seasons 


AN  UNEXPECTED  PLEASURE. 


123 


of  the  year,  also,  bring  with  them  their  peculiar  aspects  and 
variations,  which  would  enlarge  the  traveler’s  field  of  obser¬ 
vation,  and  supply  him  with  other  and  important  means  for 
illustrating  the  sacred  Word.  It  is  desirable,  in  Order  to 
invest  the  Scriptures  with  their  full  power  to  instruct  and 
impress  us,  to  bring  them  as  fully  as  possible  into  connection 
with  all  the  circumstances  which  surrounded  the  inspired 
writers. 


THE  MUSTARD-SEED  PLANT. 

In  the  parable  of  the  mustard-seed,  it  is  said  that  this 
seed,  although  the  smallest  of  all  seeds  when  cast  into  the 
earth,  becomes,  when  grown  up,  a  great  tree  (in  a  compara¬ 
tive  sense,  of  course),  and  puts  forth  branches,  so  that  the 
fowls  of  heaven  come  and  lodge  among  them.  I  was  begin¬ 
ning  to  fear  that  I  should  leave  the  country  without  having 
an  opportunity  to  see  any  example  of  this  plant  answering 
to  the  description  of  it  in  the  parable.  Of  the  various  per¬ 
sons  of  whom  I  had  made  inquiry  at  Jerusalem,  no  one  was 
able  to  give  me  any  certain  information.  One  said  that 
probably  this  species  of  the  plant  was  now  extinct.  Another 
said  that  it  was  reputed  to  grow  very  large  in  Galilee,  but 
could  not  vouch  for  it  from  personal  observation.  I  had 
observed,  indeed,  in  crossing  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  just 
before  coming  to  Nazareth,  that  the  mustard-plant  was  by 
no  means  uncommon  there ;  but  yet,  though  some  of  the 
stalks  which  I  took  pains  to  measure  were  quite  large,  they 
were  still  not  so  large  as  I  had  expected  to  find  them,  and 


124 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


not  large  enough,  as  it  appeared  to  me,  to  suggest  naturally 
the  illustration  in  the  parable.  I  was,  therefore,  disap¬ 
pointed. 

Some  days  after  this,  as  I  was  riding  across  the  plain  of 
Akka,  on  the  way  to  Carmel,  I  perceived,  at  some  distance 
from  the  path,  what  seemed  to  be  a  little  forest  or  nursery 
of  trees.  I  turned  aside  to  examine  them.  On  coming 
nearer,  they  proved  to  be  an  extensive  field  of  the  plant 
which  I  was  so  anxious  to  see.  It  was  then  in  blossom,  full 
grown,  in  some  cases  six,  seven,  and  nine  feet  high,  with  a 
stem  or  trunk  an  inch  or  more  in  thickness,  throwing  out 
branches  on  every  side.  I  was  now  satisfied  in  part.  I  felt 
that  such  a  plant  might  well  be  called  a  tree,  and,  in  com¬ 
parison  with  the  seed  producing  it,  a  great  tree.  But  still 
the  branches,  or  stems  of  the  branches,  were  not  very  large, 
or,  apparently,  very  strong.  Can  the  birds,  X  said  to  my¬ 
self,  rest  upon  them  ?  Are  they  not  too  slight  and  flexible  ? 
Will  they  not  bend  or  break  beneath  the  superadded  weight  ? 
At  that  very  instant,  as  I  stood  and  revolved  the  thought, 
lo  !  one  of  the  fowls  of  heaven  stopped  in  its  flight  through 
the  air,  alighted  down  on  one  of  the  branches,  which  hardly 
moved  beneath  the  shock,  and  then  began,  perched  there 
before  my  eyes,  to  warble  forth  a  strain  of  the  richest 
music.  All  my  doubts  were  now  charmed  away.  I  was 
delighted  at  the  incident.  It  seemed  to  me  at  the  moment 
as  if  I  enjoyed  enough  to  repay  me  for  all  the  trouble  of  the 
whole  journey. 

Such  incidental  illustrations  of  Scripture  furnish  no  small 


A  VISIT  TO  AN  AT  A. 


125 


share  of  the  gratification  which  the  traveler  receives  from 
day  to  day,  as  he  wanders  through  the  lands  of  the  Bible. 
He  finds  that  he  has  a  local  commentary  spread  everywhere 
around  him,  which  brings  home  to  him  the  language  and 
scenes  of  the  Bible  with  a  freshness  and  power  which  no 
learning  or  skill  of  commentators  can  supply. 

I  am  aware  that  some  give  to  the  original  word  for  “  mus¬ 
tard  ”  a  generic  sense,  so  as  to  understand  a  tree,  properly  so 
called.  But,  as  no  necessity  demands  such  an  extension  of 
the  term,  it  is  more  correct  to  adhere  to  the  ordinary  mean¬ 
ing.  Besides,  the  Evangelists  include  the  mustard-plant  of 
which  they  speak  among  herbs  or  vegetables,  and  thus  indi¬ 
cate  that  when  they  call  it  a  “  tree”  they  make  use  of  a  popu¬ 
lar  hyperbole. 

GRASS  ON  THE  HOUSE-TOPS. 

At  Anata,  the  Anathoth  of  Scripture,  already  mentioned,* 
I  observed  that  the  roofs  of  some  of  the  houses  were  par¬ 
tially  covered  with  grass ;  a  circumstance  which  I  noticed, 
also,  in  several  other  places.  As  the  roofs  of  the  common 
dwellings  are  fiat,  and,  instead  of  being  built  of  stone  or 
wTood,  are  coated  with  plaster  or  hardened  earth,  a  slight 
crop  of  grass  frequently  springs  up  in  that  situation.  Such 
vegetation,  however,  having  no  soil  into  wrhich  it  can  strike 
its  roots,  and  being  exposed  to  a  scorching  sun,  rarely  attains 
to  any  great  height,  or  continues  long ;  it  is  a  feeble,  stunted 
product,  and  soon  withers  away.  Hence  the  sacred  writers 
sometimes  allude  to  the  grass  on  the  house-tops  as  an  cm- 

*  Sec  the  Illustration  on  the  75th  page. 

11* 


126 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


blem  of  weakness,  frailty  and  certain  destruction.  Thus,  in 
Psalm  129,  6.  7,  it  is  said : 

“  They  shall  be  ashamed  and  turn  back, 

All  those  that  hate  Zion. 

They  shall  be  as  grass  upon  the  house-tops, 

Which,  before  one  plucks  it,  withers  away  ; 

With  which  the  mower  fills  not  his  hand, 

Nor  the  sheaf-binder  his  arms.” 

In  Isaiah  37,  27,  the  prophet  says,  with  reference  to  the 
people  of  Judah,  whom  the  Assyrians  threatened  to  destroy : 

“  And  their  inhabitants  were  of  feeble  power, 

They  were  confounded  and  dismayed  ; 

They  became  as  grass  of  the  field  and  the  green  herb, 

As  the  grass  of  the  house-tops,  and  the  blasted  corn.” 

THORNS. 

Every  one  who  has  been  in  Palestine  must  have  been 
struck  with  the  number  of  thorny  shrubs  and  plants  that 
abound  there.  The  traveler  finds  them  in  his  path,  go  where 
he  may.  Many  of  them  are  small,  but  some  grow  as  high 
as  a  man’s  head.  The  Rabbinical  writers  say  that  there  are 
no  less  than  twenty-two  words  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  denoting 
thorny  and  prickly  plants.  The  prevalence  of  such  shrubs, 
say  agriculturists,  shows  a  luxuriant  soil.  If  proper  care 
be  not  taken  they  soon  get  the  upper  hand,  and  spread  in 
every  direction.  “I  went  by  the  field  of  the  slothful — and, 
lo,  it  was  all  grown  over  with  thorns,  and  nettles  had  cov¬ 
ered  the  face  thereof,”  (Proverbs  24,  80.  31.)  “The  way  of 


A  NOVEL  PUNISHMENT. 


127 


the  slothful  man- is  as  an  hedge  of  thorns;  but  the  way  of  the 
righteous  is  made  plain,”  (Proverbs  15,  19.)  “  Break  up  your 
fallow  ground,”  says  the  prophet,  “  and  sow  not  among 
thorns,”  (Jeremiah  4,  3.)  As  descriptive  of  the  desolation 
of  Edom,  it  is  said  :  “  Thorns  shall  come  up  in  her  palaces, 
nettles  and  brambles  in  the  fortresses  thereof.”  The  crown 
put  on  the  head  of  the  Saviour  was  made  of  thorns,  (Mat¬ 
thew  27,  29.)  The  sharp  points,  as  the  soldiers  “  smote  him 
with  a  reed,”  may  have  been  driven  into  his  head,  piercing 
and  tearing  the  flesh.  A  species  of  thorn,  now  very  common 
near  Jerusalem,  bears  the  name  of  Spina  Chris  ti,  or  Christ's 
thorn. 

The  people  of  the  country  gather  these  bushes  and  plants, 
and  use  them  as  fuel.  As  it  is  now,  so  it  was  of  old.  “  As 
the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot,  so  is  the  laughter  of  the 
fool,”  (Ecclesiastes  7,  6.)  “  Before  your  pots  can  feel  the 
thorns,”  namely,  the*  fire  of  them,  “  he  shall  sweep  them 
away,”  (Psalm  58,  9.)  The  figure  in  this  case  is  taken  from 
'travelers  in  the  desert,  or  from  shepherds  tenting  abroad,  who 
build  a  fire  in  the  open  air,  where  it  is  exposed  to  the  wind  ; 
a  sudden  gust  arises  and  sweeps  away  the  fuel  almost  before 
it  has  begun  to  burn.  “  As  thorns  cut  up  shall  they  be  burnt 
in  the  fire,”  (Isaiah  33,  12.)  The  meaning  is  that  the  wicked 
are  worthless,  —  their  destruction  shall  be  sudden  and  com¬ 
plete. 

CHASTISING  THE  MEN  OF  SUCCOTH. 

In  Judges  8,  7,  Gideon  threatens  to  “  tear  the  flesh  of  the 
princes  of  Succoth,”  a  town  on  the  east  of  the  Jordan, 


128 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


“  with  the  thorns  of  the  wilderness  and  with  briars,”  because 
they  refused  to  supply  his  men  with  bread,  as  he  was  “  pur¬ 
suing  Zebah  and  Zalmunna,  kings  of  Midian.”  On  his  return, 
after  defeating  his  enemies,  he  executed  that  threat.  “  He 
took  the  elders  of  the  city,  and  thorns  of  the  wilderness  and 
briars,  and  with  them  he  taught  the  men  of  Succoth.”  The 
Rev.  Hr.  Smith,  missionary  at  Beirut,  who  had  recently  vis¬ 
ited  the  Jordan  in  that  neighborhood,  told  me  that  he  found 
thorn-bushes  and  brambles  still  growing  there  of  a  remark¬ 
able  size.  Some  of  the  taller  thistles,  he  said,  rose  above  his 
head,  even  when  mounted  on  horseback.  He  had  good  reason 
for  adding  that  a  lesson  enforced  with  such  instruments  must 
have  been  effectually  taught.  I  sometimes  attempted  to  force 
my  way  through  such  thickets,  but  found  it  attended  with 
peril  both  to  body  and  raiment. 

Gideon’s  mode  of  punishment  reminds  us  of  that  said  to 
have  been  inflicted  by  the  ancient  Egyptians  on  those  who 
were  guilty  of  parricide.  Regarding  “  the  murder  of  a 
father  as  the  most  unnatural  of  crimes,  they  endeavored  to 
prevent  its  occurrence  by  the  marked  severity  w7ith  which  it 
was  avenged.  The  criminal  was,  therefore,  sentenced  to  be 
lacerated  with  sharpened  reeds,  and  after  being  thrown  on 
thorns  he  was  burnt  to  death.”  * 

“  IIUSKS  ”  IN  THE  PARABLE  OF  THE  PRODIGAL. 

The  word  “husks”  is  an  unfortunate  translation  of  the 
Greek  term  for  which  it  is  employed.  The  word  so  rendered 

*  Wilkinson’s  Ancient  Egyptians,  Yol.  11.,  p.  209 


FARE  OF  THE  PRODIGAL. 


129 


signifies  “  little  horns,”  with  reference  to  the  extended  and 
slightly  curved  shape  of  the  pods  of  the  fruit  of  the  Carob- 
tree ;  that  fruit  being  the  article  of  food  which  the  prodigal 
is  represented  as  having  eaten.  The  Carob-tree  is  found,  not 
only  in  Egypt  and  Syria,  but  in  Greece,  and  other  parts  of 
southern  Europe.  It  is  a  large  tree,  with  a  thick  foliage  and 
wide-spreading  branches.  I  saw  it  growing  on  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  elsewhere  around  Jerusalem.  The  fruit  is  a  legu¬ 
minous  product,  resembling  the  pod  of  our  locust-tree,  but 
much  larger  :  it  has  a  sweetish  pulp  when  tender,  but  soon 
becomes  dry  and  hard,  with  small  seeds  which  rattle  in  the 
pod  when  shaken.  It  emits  a  slight  odor,  when  first  gathered, 
offensive  to  those  whom  use  has  not  accustomed  to  it.  The 
poorer  class  of  people  employ  it  as  food  in  the  countries 
where  it  is  produced.  I  was  told  at  Smyrna  that  it  is  in 
great  request,  in  some  of  the  Greek  islands,  as  a  nutritious 
article  for  fattening  swine.  It  constituted  a  part  of  the 

provender  (unless  it  was  a  very  similar  product)  with  which 

• 

our  camels  were  fed  in  traveling  through  the  desert.  I  saw 
great  quantities  of  this  fruit  exposed  for  sale  in  the  market 
at  Smyrna.  Some  specimens  which  I  brought  away  with  me 
averaged  six  and  eight  inches  in  length,  though  they  are  said 


130 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


to  be  often  eight  or  ten  inches  long.  It  is  not  meant  in 
the  parable  that  the  prodigal  resorted  to  food  absolutely 
fit  only  for  swine ;  but  that  he  who  had  been  brought  up  in 
wealth  and  luxury  was  reduced  to  such  wrant  as  to  be  obliged 
to  subsist  on  the  meanest  fare. 

TARES. 

In  passing  through  the  fertile  country  of  the  ancient  Phil¬ 
istines,  on  the  south  of  Palestine,  I  asked  the  guide,  one  day, 
a  native  Syrian,  if  he  knew  of  a  plant  which  was  apt  to 

t 

make  its  appearance  among  the  wheat,  and  which  resembled 
it  so  much  that  it  could  hardly  be  distinguished  from  it.  He 
replied  that  it  was  very  common,  and  that  he  would  soon  show 
me  a  specimen  of  it.  Soon  after  this  he  pointed  out  to  me 
some  of  this  grass,  growing  near  our  path ;  and  afterwards, 
having  once  seen  it,  I  found  it  in  almost  every  field  where  I 
searched  for  it.  Except  that  the  stalk  was  not  so  high,  it 
appeared  otherwise  precisely  like  wheat,  just  as  the  ears 
begin  to  show  themselves,  and  the  kernels  are  swelling  out 
into  shape. 

This  is  the  plant  to  which  the  Saviour  referred  in  the 
parable,  as  the  tares  whicji  sprang  up  among  the  wheat,  and 
which  the  owner,  because  it  was  so  much  like  the  genuine 
wheat,  directed  his  servants  to  suffer  to  remain  until  the  har¬ 
vest,  “  lest,  while  they  gathered  up  the  tares,  they  should 
root  up  also  the  wheat  with  them,”  (Matthew  IB,  24,  sep)  I 
collected  some  specimens  of  this  deceitful  weed,  and  have 
found,  on  showing  them  to  friends,  that  they  have  mistaken 


SCARCITY  OF  WOOD. 


131 


them  quite  invariably  for  some  species  of  grain,  such  as 
♦ 

wheat  or  barley. 

THE  GRASS  OF  THE  OVEN. 

In  crossing  the  mountains  of  Lebanon,  we  stopped,  one  day, 
for  refreshment,  near  a  rivulet  flowing  towards  the  east.  As 
I  was  sitting  there  I  observed  a  peasant  of  the  country  dig¬ 
ging  up,  with  a  sort  of  pickaxe,  the  clumps  of  shrubs  and 
coarse  grass  which  grow  in  the  thin  soil  spread  over  the 
rocks.  He  was  collecting  them  to  carry  home,  in  order  to 
burn  them  as  fuel.  I  had  seen  heaps  of  the  same  material 
piled,  up  near  the  lime-kilns  in  the  vicinity  of  Urtas  ;  and  I 
frequently  saw  troops  of  donkeys  returning  from  the  fields 
loaded  with  bundles  of  such  fuel.  The  scarcity  of  wood  in 
Palestine  is  very  great,  especially  in  the  southern  part ;  so 
that  the  people  are  obliged  to  resort  to  the  use  of  almost 
everything  that  is  capable  of  being  burnt,  in  order  to  procure 
the  means  of  warming  their  houses  in  winter,  and  of  pre¬ 
paring  their  daily  food.  They  not  only  cut  down,  for  this 

% 

purpose,  the  shrubs  and  larger  kinds  of  grass,  but  gather  the 
common  withered  grass  itself,  and  the  wild  flowers,  of  which 
the  fields  display  so  rich  a  profusion. 

It  is  from  this  source  that  the  Saviour  derives  the  beauti¬ 
ful  illustration,  which  he  employs  for  the  purpose  of  repress¬ 
ing  an  undue  solicitude,  on  the  part  of  his  followers,  respecting 
the  wants  of  the  present  life :  “  Consider  the  lilies  of  the 
field,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin. 
And  yet  I  say  unto  you  that  even  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory, 


*Mb 


132 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  Wherefore,  if  God  so 
clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to-morrow 
is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not  much  more  clothe  you,  0 
ye  of  little  faith  ?  ”  (Matthew  6,  28 — 30.) 

ANECDOTE  OP  MUNGO  PARK. 

The  well  known  traveler,  Mungo  Park,  relates  an  incident 
concerning  himself,  which  presents  the  passage  just  quoted  in 
so  striking  a  light  that  it  deserves  to  be  mentioned  here. 
It  shows  how  effectually,  under  certain  circumstances,  the 
flowers  of  the  field  may  convey  to  a  thoughtful  mind  the 
lessons  which  our  Saviour  would  have  us  derive  from  them. 

“  One  day,”  he  says,  “  I  found  myself  in  the  midst  of  a  vast 
wilderness  (it  was  one  of  the  African  deserts),  in  the  depth' 
of  the  rainy  season,  naked  and  alone,  surrounded  by  savage 
animals,  and  men  still  more  savage.  I  was  five  hundred 
miles  from  any  European  settlement.  Whatever  way  I 
turned,  nothing  appeared  but  danger  and  difficulty.  At  this 
moment,  painful  as  my  reflections  were,  the  extraordinary 
beauty  of  a  small  moss  in  fructification  irresistibly  caught 
my  eye.  Though  the  whole  plant  was  not  larger  than  the 
top  of  one  of  my  fingers,  I  could  not  contemplate  the  delicate 
conformation  of  its  roots,  leaves  and  capsules,  without  admi¬ 
ration.  Can  that  Being,  thought  I,  who  planted,  watered 
and  brought  to  perfection,  in  this  obscure  part  of  the  world, 
a  thing  which  appears  of  so  small  importance,  look  with 
unconcern  upon  the  situation  and  sufferings  of  creatures 
formed  after  his  own  image  ?  Surely  not.  I  started  up, 


133 


A  COMMON  ERROR. 

and,  disregarding  hunger  and  fatigue,  traveled  forward, 
assured  that  relief  was  at  hand;  and  I  was  not  disap¬ 
pointed.”  * 

SIGN  OF  SUMMER. 

On  my  first  arrival  in  the  southern  part  of  Syria,  near  the 
end  of  March,  most  of  the  fruit-trees  were  clothed  with  foli¬ 
age  and  in  blossom.  The  fig-tree,  on  the  contrary,  was  much 
behind  them,  in  this  respect ;  for  the  leaves  of  this  tree  do 
not  make  their  appearance  till  comparatively  late  in  the  sea¬ 
son.  On  this  circumstance  appears  to  be  founded  Christ’s 
saying :  “  When  its  branch  is  already  tender,  and  putteth 
forth  leaves,  ye  know  that  summer  is  nigh,”  (Matthew  24,  32.) 
As  the  spring  is  so  far  advanced  before  the  leaves  of  the  fig- 
tree  begin  to  appear  (the  early  fruit,  indeed,  comes  first),  a 
person  may  be  sure,  when  he  beholds  this  sign,  that  summer 
is  at  hand. 

PECULIARITY  OF  THE  FIG-TREE. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  fig-tree  does  not  produce  visible 
blossoms.  It  is  not  destitute  of  them,  but  they  are  concealed 
in  the  corolla,  and  so  effectually  as  to  lead  to  the  popular 
idea  that  they  are  wholly  wanting.  Even  Plutarch  and  Pliny 
among  the  ancients  believed  that  the  fig-tree  docs  not  blos¬ 
som  at  all.  Hence,  in  striking  agreement  with  this  fact, 
though  we  read  in  the  Old  Testament  of  the  flower  of  the 
almond,  of  the  lily,  of  the  olive  and  the  vine,  we  never  read 
of  the  flower  of  the  fig-tree.  One  of  our  religious  hymns 

*Tlie  Life  of  Mungo  Park  (12mo,  Edinburgh,  1835),  p.  116. 

12 


134 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


says  of  the  barren  fig-tree,  which  disappoints  the  hopes  of  the 
cultivator, 

“  It  yields  no  fruit,  ho  blossom  bears, 

Though  planted  by  his  hands.” 

This  reference  to  the  blossom,  since  it  does  not  show  itself  to 
the  eye,  is  out  of  place  in  such  a  connection.  It  betrays  the 
foreign  writer.  A  native  writer,  accustomed  to  the  fig-tree, 
would  not  be  likely  to  allude  to  a  hidden  blossom  as  if  it 
were  an  outward  sign.  A  critic  might  have  seized  on  such 
an  expression  in  the  Prophets,  or  in  the  parables  of  Christ, 
as  evidence  that  they  never  lived  in  Palestine.  The  passage 
in  Habakkuk  (3,  17)  is  only  an  apparent  exception  to  these 
remarks ;  for  the  prophet’s  language  in  the  original  is  en¬ 
tirely  correct,  and  he  should  be  rendered  as  saying  :  “A1  though 
the  fig-tree  should  not  bear,”  not  “  blossom.”  * 

A  BLASTING  WIND. 

At  the  close  of  the  day,  March  the  thirty-first,  we  pitched 
our  tents  near  the  site  of  Ashdod,  the  Azotus  of  Acts  8,  40. 
A  little  village  not  far  off,  called  Esdud,  perpetuates  the 
ancient  name.  Ashdod  was  one  of  the  chief  cities  of  the 
Philistines,  but  is  now  utterly  forsaken.  The  prophet’s  sen¬ 
tence  has  been  executed  upon  it  to  the  letter  :  “  I  will  cut 

*  What  is  suggested  here  as  possible  turns  out  to  be  a  fact.  A  writer 
in  one  of  the  public  journals,  referring  to  this  paragraph,  previously 
published,  says  that  he  has  known  this  very  inadvertence  of  our 
translators  to  be  urged  as  proof  that  the  Scriptures  are  inaccurate  and 
untrustworthy. 


BLASTED  EARS  OE  CORN. 


135 


off  the  inhabitant  from  Ashdod,”  (Amos  1,  8.)  The  only 
marks  of  antiquity  which  I  could  discover  were  a  high 
mound,  where  the  old  city  stood,  covered  now  with  fragments 
of  pottery;  two  or  three  cellars  or  cisterns,  that  seemed  to 
have  been  recently  laid  open  ;  two  marble  columns,  one  pros¬ 
trate  in  the  court  of  a  neighboring  khan,  and  the  other 
wrought  into  a  drinking-trough  ;  several  broken  pieces  of 
columns  or  tablets,  mostly  built  into  a  Sakieh  or  watering- 
machine ;  and  a  few  traces  of  masonry  near  the  Jaffa  road, 
which  may  have  belonged  to  the  city  walls.  These  last  are 
so  concealed  as  to  be  found  only  with  special  pains. 

Just  before  dark,  the  temperature,  which  during  the  day 
had  not  been  oppressive,  suddenly  changed.  The  air,  in  a 
few  moments,  became  hot  like  that  from  a  strongly  heated  fur¬ 
nace.  This  extreme  variation  -lasted  but  a  short  time,  though 
the  night  which  followed  was  exceedingly  warm.  Had  it  con¬ 
tinued  much  longer,  as  the  natives  assured  us,  it  would  have 
done  serious  injury  to  the  grain,  which  was  then  near  its 
maturity.  A  hot  wind,  occurring  just  before  the  harvest  is 
ripe,  is  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible  as  one  of  the  greatest 
calamities  which  the  husbandman  had  occasion  to  fear. 
When  Pharaoh  in  his  dream  saw  “the  seven  ears  of  corn 
blasted  by  the  east  wind,”  he  beheld  in  that  ,  symbol  the  sig¬ 
nificant  intimation  of  an  approaching  famine.  The  blasting 
of  the  grain,  that  is,  as  the  original  word  shows,  by  a  scorch¬ 
ing  wind,  is  threatened  as  a  judgment  in  various  passages. 
See  Deuteronomy  28,  22;  2  Kings  19,  26;  Amos  4,  9, 
and  Isaiah  37,  27.  In  1  Kings  8,  37,  it  is  mentioned  among 


136 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  visitations  of  God  from  which  the  J ews  had  special  rea¬ 
son  to  pray  to  be  delivered. 

ALTERNATIONS  OF  HEAT  AND  COLD. 

Jacob,  in  enumerating  his  claims  on  the  gratitude  of 
Laban,  his  father-in-law,  for  having  served  him  so  faithfully, 
speaks  of  having  endured  the  heat  by  day  and  the  frost  by 
night,  (Genesis  31,  40.)  His  employment,  as  keeper  of  the 
flocks  and  herds,  required  him  to  be  much  in  the  open  fields, 
protected  only  by  a  tent,  and  often,  no  doubt,  without  any 
shelter ;  a  mode  of  life  which  exposed  him  to  the  sudden 
alternations  of  heat  and  cold  which  distinguish  that  climate. 
He  was  then  living  in  Mesopotamia;  but  the  inequality 
between  the  temperature  of  day  and  night,  which  prevails 
there,  is  found  also  in  the  more-southern  parts  of  the  country. 
It  happened  to  me  frequently  to  need  all  the  precaution  I 
could  adopt,  in  order  to  guard  against  the  cold  at  night,  even 
when  the  heat  of  the  preceding  day  had  been  as  great  as 
could  well  be  borne. 

The  following  case  will  illustrate  the  nature  of  these  varia¬ 
tions  ;  though  I  ought  to  say  that  very  possibly  the  change 
was  the  greater  in  this  instance,  because  several  snow-capped 
mountains  were  so  near  as  to  bo  within  sight.  I  spent  the 
night  of  the  fourteenth  of  May  on  the  banks  of  the  Litany, 
the  ancient  Leontes,  which  drains  the  southern  part  of  the 
magnificent  plain  between  Lebanon  and  Anti-Lebanon.  It  is 
certain  that  whatever  effect  the  vicinity  of  masses  of  snow  may 
have  on  the  temperature  by  night,  when  the  sun  is  withdrawn, 


SUDDEN  INCREASE  OF  HEAT. 


137 


the  heat  by  day  is  not  sensibly  affected  by  that  circumstance. 
We  had  been  obliged  to  halt  some  hours  earlier  than  usual, 
in  order  to  avoid  the  exposure  of  riding  under  a  scorching 
sun.  The  heat,  which  had  been  sufficiently  inconvenient  on 
the  mountains,  became  doubly  oppressive  on  descending  into 
the  plain.  A  little  after  mid-day,  therefore,  we  encamped  at 
the  bridge  near  El-Merj,  grateful  for  the  sight  of  a  cooling 
stream,  and  for  an  opportunity  to  screen  ourselves  beneath 
the  shelter  of  a  tent.  Yet  the  ensuing  night  was  decidedly 
cold  ;  we  passed,  in  a  few  hours,  from  the  midst  of  sum¬ 
mer  to  the  verge  of  winter.  On  resuming  the  journey 
the  next  morning,  between  four  and  five  o’clock,  I  found 
the  protection  of  an  additional  garment  necessary,  and  was 
obliged  to  ride  rapidly  to  keep  from  being  chilled.  Not¬ 
withstanding  these  precautions,  my  fingers,  ere  long,  were  so 
benumbed  that  I  could  hardly  grasp  the  reins.  This  con¬ 
tinued  till  the  sun  at  length  began  to  dart  his  beams  over 
the  summits  of  Anti-Lebanon,  as  we  turned  out  of  the  plain 
into  Wady  Huriry.  The  cold  then  rapidly  abated ;  the 
additional  garment  became  unnecessary  ;  and,  before  many 
hours,  a  tide  ,of  heat  was  pouring  down  upon  us  which 
renewed  fully  the  experience  of  the  preceding  day.  It  must 
be  confessed  that  a  frequent  exposure  to  such  vicissitudes  by 
day  and  night  would  furnish  a  good  claim  to  a  generous 
requital  for  labors  attended  with  such  hardship. 

The  climate  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  is  warmer  than 
in  any  other  part  of  Palestine  ;  but  here,  too,  the  days  and 

nights  are  very  unequal,  in  this  respect.  In  the  afternoon 

12* 


138 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


of  May  the  fourth,  my  tent  was  pitched  on  the  shore  of  the 
Lake  of  Tiberias.  The  thermometer,  which  was  down  to  tem¬ 
perate  at  sunrise  the  next  morning,  rose  about  twenty  degrees 
in  two  hours.  A  comparison  with  an  earlier  hour  would 
have  showed  a  still  greater  change. 

A  FIRE  BY  NIGHT. 

One  of  the  weeks  which  I  spent  at  Jerusalem  was  the  one 
corresponding  with  that  in  which  the  Saviour  was  appre¬ 
hended  and  put  to  death.  The  week  of  the  crucifixion  was 
the  week  of  the  Passover,  which  fell  near  the  end  of  March, 
or  the  beginning  of  April.  It  is  related  that  it  was  then  so 
cold  at  night  that  the  servants  kindled  a  fire  in  the  court  of 
the  high  priest.  It  was  there  that  Peter  stood  and  warmed 
himself,  when  he  was  recognized  as  a  disciple,  and  was 
tempted  to  deny  his  Master.  This  incident  of  the  fire  char¬ 
acterizes  the  climate  perfectly.  The  nights  at  Jerusalem,  at 
this  season  of  the  }7ear,  are  cool,  though  the  days  may  be 
hot.  The  air,  soon  after  sundown,  becomes  chilly,  and, 
under  the  open  sky,  a  person  who  regarded  his  convenience 
would  need  still  either  to  increase  his  raiment  or  to  have 
recourse  to  a  fire. 

The  Evangelist  John  (18,  18)  states  that  the  fire  which 
the  servants  kindled  on  that  occasion  was  made  of  coals. 
This  notice,  too,  which  drops  so  incidentally  from  the  writer 
(the  other  Evangelists  omit  it),  tallies  with  the  customs  of 
the  country.  Coal  is  one  of  the  articles  of  fuel  which  the 
people  at  Jerusalem  use  at  the  present  day.  It  is  made,  in 


LINES  OP  WATTS.  139 

part,  says  Dr.  Tobler,*  of  pine  wood,  obtained  in  the  region 
of  Hebron.  The  Greek  word  employed  in  this  case  denotes 
charcoal,  or  coal  made  from  wood. 

THE  NIGHT  OF  TIIE  BETRAYAL. 

Since  the  Jewish  Passover  began  fourteen  days  after  the 
appearance  of  the  new  moon,  the  moon  must  have  been  at 
the  full  at  the  time  of  the  crucifixion.  I  do  not  recollect 
that  the  sky  was  overcast  with  a  single  cloud  on  any  one  of 
the  evenings  of  the  holy  week,  at  the  beginning  of  April, 
1852.  Although,  at  that  season  of  the  year,  the  latter  rain 
has  not  wholly  ceased,  it  is  so  nearly  past  that  a  cloudy  night 
is  much  less  apt  to  occur  than  one  entirely  clear.  I  can 
never  forget  the  interest  with  w'hich  I  repaired,  on  some  of 

those  nights,  to  the  roof  of  the  house  where  I  lodged  at 

* 

Jerusalem.  The  city  lay  (disclosed  to  view,  under  the  beams 
of  a  bright  moonlight,  almost  with  the  distinctness  of  an 
early  twilight.  Not  a  cloud  or  vapor  passed  over  the  face 
of  the  sky.  The  towering  form  of  Olivet  was  visible  at  a 
little  distance,  across  the  valley  of  the  Kedron,  on  the  east. 
Still  nearer,  at  the  base  of  the  mount,  was  Gethsemane,  even 
more  silent  at  those  hours  than  when  the  voice  of  the  Suf¬ 
ferer  was  heard,  saying,  “  Not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done.” 

It  was  on  such  a  night,  beyond  doubt,  that  the  scenes  took 
place  which  resulted  in  the  Saviour’s  death.  The  lines  of 
Watts,  so  familiar  to  every  ear, 

“  ’T  was  on  that  dark,  that  doleful  night, 

When  powers  of  earth  and  hell  arose,” 

*  Denkbhitter  aus  Jerusalem  (1853),  p.  180. 


4 


140 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


suggest,  indeed,  a  fit  time,  in  point  of  moral  congruity,  for 
the  betrayal  and  the  apprehension ;  but,  in  all  probability, 
the  night  externally  was  one  of  the  loveliest  which  the  circle 
of  the  year  affords.  His  pursuers,  it  is  true,  carried  with 
them  “  lanterns  and  torches  but  they  would  need  these, 
even  in  a  clear  night  and  under  a  brilliant  moon,  because  the 
western  side  of  Olivet  abounds  in  deserted  tombs  and  caves, 
and,  instead  of  a  voluntary  surrender  on  his  part,  they  had 
reason  to  suppose  that  he  would  endeavor  to  escape,  or 
secrete  himself.  Soldiers  (some  of  the  Roman  cohort  took 
part  in  the  apprehension)  would  be  likely  to  think  of  that 
possibility,  and  to  provide  for  it. 

OBJECTION  OF  GIBBON  AND  OTHERS. 

An  impression  prevails  somewhat  extensively  that  Pales¬ 
tine  is  no  longer  distinguished  for  the  fertility  which  the 
sacred  writers  ascribe  to  that  country.  The  question  has 
been  asked  me  again  and  again  whether  I  found  my  expecta¬ 
tions  in  that  respect  realized  ;  whether  the  disparaging 
remarks  of  certain  travelers,  in  regard  to  the  character  of  the 
soil,  have  any  proper  foundation.  Some,  taking  it  for  granted 
that  the  praises  which  the  Bible  bestows  on  the  promised 
land,  as  so  remarkably  rich  and  fertile,  will  not  apply  to  its 
present  state,  would  account  for  the  change  as  the  effect  of  a 
special  ordinance  of  Heaven ;  they  suppose  that  a  curse 
rests  upon  it  on  account  of  the  apostasy  of  the  Jews,  causing 
the  needed  rains  to  be  withheld,  and  destroying  the  pro¬ 
ductive  energy  of  the  soil.  Others,  less  concerned  for  the 


SARCASM  OF  YOLTAIRE. 


141 


truth  of  the  sacred  writers,  allege  that  the  facts  in  the  case 
discredit  their  testimony;  that  they  must  have  made  a  false  or 
exaggerated  statement.  Gibbon  speaks  of  Palestine  as  a  ter¬ 
ritory  scarcely  superior  to  Wales,  either  in  fertility  or  extent.* 
He  employs  this  comparison,  no  doubt,  says  M.  Guizot,  with 
the  intention  of  attacking  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  Vol¬ 
taire  indulged  in  sarcasm  on  the  same  subject.  As  my  journey 
fell  within  a  part  of  the  year  when  one  has  a  good  opportu¬ 
nity  to  judge  of  the  natural  advantages  of  the  country,  it 
may  be  proper  for  me  to  devote  a  few  words  to  this  objection. 

SOURCES  OF  THE  ERROR. 

It  is  not  difficult  to  account  for  the  origin  of  the  adverse 
representation  under  remark,  and  the  best  way  to  show  how 
far  it  is  from  justifying  any  impeachment  of  the  truth  of 
Scripture  may  be,  perhaps,  to  trace  the  error  to  its  sources. 
Some  misinterpret  the  import  of  the  expressions  used  on 
this  subject.  One  of  the  most  common  of  these,  and,  prob¬ 
ably,  the  strongest,  is  that  which  so  often  describes  the  land 
of  promise  as  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  But  this  is  a 
proverbial  way  of  speaking,  and  asserts  oniy  that  the  coun¬ 
try  has  eminent  advantages  for  the  purposes  of  agriculture 
and  pasturage.  It  does  not  ascribe  to  it  every  excellence, 
nor  an  absolute  superiority  to  all  other  lands  in  any  one 
respect.  Yet,  not  a  few  entertain  this  exaggerated  idea  of 

*  See  Note  in  Milman’s  edition  of  the  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Homan 
Empire  (Paris,  1810),  Vol.  i.,  p.  22. 


142 


SCRIPT  ORE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  meaning.  All  that  the  language  properly  implies  is  em¬ 
phatically  true.  The  flocks  and  herds  of  Palestine  are  still 
numerous,  and,  with  suitable  care,  might  be  increased  to 
almost  any  extent.  The  Syrian  sheep  are  inferior  to  no 
others  in  the  world.  During  the  w^ars  in  the  early  part  of 
this  century  the  European  nations  sent  to  that  region  for 
their  supplies,  in  part,  for  subsisting  their  armies..  It  has 
been  judged  that  a  single  plain,  that  of  Esdraelon,  between 
the  hills  of  Samaria  on  the  south,  and  the  last  ridges  of 
Lebanon  on  the  north,  would  yield  grain  enough,  if  properly 
cultivated,  to  support  the  entire  population  at  present  wdthin 
the  ancient  limits  of  the  holy  land.  Honey  is  abundant,  and 
the  vegetation  necessary  for  producing  it  thrives  on  every 
hand.  “  I  perceived  in  many  places,”  says  Maundrell,  “  a 
smell  of  honey  and  wax  as  strong  as  if  one  had  been  in  an 
apiary.”  The  fig-trees  and  olives  rival  those  of  the  most 
favored  climes,  and  the  few  vines  suffered  to  grow  (for  the 
religion  of  the  Mohammedans  forbids  the  use  of  wine)  show 
a  luxuriance  unsurpassed  elsewhere.  Such  facts  vindicate 
entirely  the  truthfulness  of  the  Scripture  statement.  No 
expectations  which  they  do  not  fulfil  are  warranted  by  the 
language  of  the  sacred  writers;  and,  certainly,  no  other 
expectations  should  be  taken  as  the  standard  of  comparison 
in  judging  of  the  accuracy  of  those  writers. 

Certain  travelers  have  given  undue  prominence  to  the 
deficiencies  of  the  country,  as  compared  with  its  advantages. 
Every  land  has  its  sterile  parts  as  well  as  its  productive 
ones.  Even  Sicily,  though  fertile  even  to  a  proverb,  has  its 


EFFECTS  OF  HEAT. 


143 


wastes.  Palestine  forms  no  exception  to  this  geographical 
law.  The  region  around  Jerusalem,  in  particular,  exhibits  an 
impressively  wild  and  forbidding  appearance.  Not  a  few 
writers  single  out  such  places  and  describe  them  at  length, 
without  giving  any  distinct  account  of  the  very  different 
character  of  the  rest  of  the  country ;  and  the  consequence  is 
that  their  readers  are  misled,  have  a  distorted  picture  presented 
to  them.  Or  they  visit  the  East  after  the  heat  of  summer 
has  arrived ;  when  the  harvests  have  been  gathered,  the 
streams  are  dried  up,  and  the  earth  seems  almost  as  destitute 
of  verdure  as  if  a  raging  fire  had  swept  over  it.  It  is  obvi¬ 
ous  that  the  descriptions  of  writers  who  confine  themselves 
chiefly  to  that  aspect  of  the  country  must  make  a  wrong  im¬ 
pression. 

Another  source  of  error  has  been  that  some  have  misun¬ 
derstood  the  proper  signs  or  conditions  of  fertility  in  the 
East.  It  is  not  safe  to  make  our  western  ideas,  in  that 
respect,  the  rule  of  judgment  there.  It  is  necessary  to  take 
into  account  the  different  nature  of  many  of  the  productions, 
and  the  different  circumstances  under  which  they  flourish. 
Among  us,  for  instance,  a  stony  soil  is  generally  unpro¬ 
ductive,  and  hills  which  consist  mainly  of  solid  rock  are 
useless  for  cultivation.  It  is  otherwise  in  Palestine.  The 
stones  there,  which  cover  to  such  an  extent  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  are  of  the  limestone  species,  and,  being  easily  broken 
up  by  the  harrow,  or  crumbling  to  pieces  of  themselves,  im¬ 
prove  the  soil,  and  become  a  source  of  positive  wealth  to  the 
husbandman.  The  hills,  too,  rocky  and  blea’k  as  they  are  in 


144 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


appearance,  favor  the  growth  of  some  of  the  choicest  prod¬ 
ucts  of  the  East.  The  olive,  in  particular,  applied  to  so 
many  uses  of  life,  and  so  profitable  as  an  article  of  com¬ 
merce,  appears  to  flourish  best  in  such  places,  though  the  soil 
seems  hardly  deep  enough  to  cover  its  roots.  Job  (29,  6) 
refers  very  possibly  to  this  fact  when  he  speaks  of  the  rock 
as  pouring  out  for  him  rivers  of  oil.  Vineyards,  too,  were 
anciently  planted  on  the  sides  of  the  mountains;  terraces,  for 
collecting  the  slight  earth  required  for  the  purpose,  were 
easily  constructed  out  of  the  soft  limestone,  and  not  seldom 
existed  naturally,  in  consequence  of  the  regularity  of  the 
strata  ;  so  that  once  vines,  with  their  luxuriant  verdure  and 
rich  fruit,  covered  the  hills  from  top  to  bottom,  where  noth¬ 
ing  meets  the  eye  at  present  but  naked  rocks,  and  the 
reflection  of  a  glaring  sunlight.  It  is  a  rare  thing  to  pass  a 
mountain,  even  in  the  wild  parts  of  Judea,  which  does  not 
show  that  it  was  formerly  terraced,  and  made  to  flow  with  oil 
and  wine,  though  it  may  exhibit  now  as  perfect  an  image  of 
dreariness  and  unproductiveness  as  can  well  be  imagined.  It 
is  not  strange,  under  these  circumstances,  that  some  trav¬ 
elers  have  been  misled  by  a  superficial  view  of  the  country, 
and  have  thus  spoken  unfavorably  of  its  natural  advantages. 

Another  mistake,  which  some  commit,  is,  that  they  fail  to 
distinguish  between  the  uncultivated  state  of  Palestine  at 
present  and  its  natural  condition.  Its  present  state  results, 
in  a  great  measure,  from  the  neglect  and  inefficiency  of  the 
inhabitants.  The  Turkish  rule,  so  unfriendly  everywhere  to 
a  spirit  of  industry  and  enterprise,  has  wrought  out  its  bad 


THE  GOVERNMENT  EXACTING. 


145 


effects  on  the  largest  scale  in  the  holy  land.  Property  is  in¬ 
secure  ;  taxation  oppressive ;  the  government  monopolizes 
the  best  portions  of  the  soil ;  and,  so  far  as  regards  the  bulk 
of  the  people,  the  ordinary  motives  to  effort  and  the  acquisi¬ 
tion  of  property,  have,  to  a  great  extent,  lost  their  power.  It 
is  a  common  saying  there  that  the  more  a  farmer  raises,  the 
poorer  he  becomes.  It  is  not  difficult  to  explain  this  paradox. 
The  government  not  only  lays  claim  to  a  liberal  proportion 
of  all  that  is  produced,  but  asserts  the  right  of  deciding  how 
much  that  is,  and  of  receiving  its  revenue,  not  in  kind,  but 
in  money ;  so  that  the  husbandman,  in  order  to  satisfy,  the 
wants  or  rapacity  of  the  ruler,  must  often  pay  for  more  than 
he  has  raised,  and,  at  the  same  time,  transport  what  he  has, 
at  great  expense,  to  a  distant  market,  to  enable  him  to  obtain 
the  money  exacted  by  the  government.  Such  a  system  would 
impoverish  and  beggar  any  country  on  the  earth.  The  effect 
of  it  in  Syria  is,  that  large  tracts,  fitted  by  nature  to  con¬ 
tribute  freely  to  human  sustenance,  lie  entirely  waste.  Briers 
and  thorns  grow  like  forests  where  ample  harvests  might  be 
reaped  with  very  little  labor.  Only  a  few  patches  are  cul¬ 
tivated  here  and  there  on  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and 
yet,  as  I  have  said,  it  might  serve  as  the  granary  of  the 
East ;  the  rest  is  overrun  with  weeds  or  turned  into  a  quag¬ 
mire.  The  same  remark,  essentially,  may  be  made  in  regard 
to  other  fertile  districts.  It  must  be  very  incorrect,  there¬ 
fore,  to  judge  of  the  natural  resources  of  Palestine  from 
what  appears  there  now.  Human  industry  must  cooperate 
always  writh  nature,  in  order  to  develop  the  evidences  of 

13 


146 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


fertility  and  abundance ;  it  is  the  failure  of  that  condition 
which  has  made  the  difference  between  the  ancient  home  of 
the  Hebrews  as  it  is  and  as  it  was  once,  and  might  still  be. 

TESTIMONY  OF  TRAVELERS. 

Finally,  those  who  would  impugn  the  truth  of  Scripture 
on  the  ground  alluded  to,  follow  a  one-sided  view  of  the  tes¬ 
timony  of  travelers  on  this  subject.  Not  many  of  them 
make  an  unfavorable  report  of  the  soil  and  climate.  The 
great  majority  of  them  concur  in  representing  the  country 
as  deserving  entirely  the  commendation  which  it  has  received. 
I  subjoin  a  few  testimonies  to  this  effect,  showing  the  general 
impression  which  a  personal  survey  has  made  on  most  of 
those  who  have  enjoyed  that  advantage.  Josephus,  who  was 
born  there,  remarks  that  the  whole  of  Galilee  was  rich, 
abounding  in  pastures  planted  with  various  kinds  of  trees, 
while  Samaria  and  Judea  were  abundant  in  their  agricultural 

/  O 

productions.  Palestine  was  well  known  to  the  Bomans. 
Tacitus,  though  he  himself  never  visited  the  East,  represents 
the  opinion  of  his  countrymen  as  confirming  this  eulogistic 
description.  Maundrell  says  *  that  “  it  is  obvious  to  an 
observer  that  the  rocks  and  hills  must  have  been  anciently 
covered  with  earth  and  cultivated,  and  made  to  contribute  to 
the  maintenance  of  the  inhabitants,”  even  more,  in  fact,  than 
if  the  country  had  been  level;  because  “  an  uneven  surface 
affords  a  much  larger  space  for  cultivation.”  Shaw  says,t 

*  Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerusalem,  p.  65. 
t  Travels  in  Barbary  and  the  Levant,  Yol.  n.,  p.  139. 


PLAIN  OF  JELICIIO. 


147 


“  The  holy  land,  were  it  as  well  inhabited  and  cultivated  as 
formerly,  would  still  be  as  fruitful.  The  soil  is  rich.  The  bar¬ 
renness,  of  which  some  complain,  proceeds  from  the  indolence 
of  the  inhabitants ;  otherwise  the  land  is  a  good  land,  and 
capable  of  affording  supplies  of  corn  and  oil  as  liberally  as 
in  the  time  of  Solomon.”  Mr.  Jowett  states,  as  the  result 
of  his  remarks,  that  there  “  is  no  fair  reason  for  pronouncing 
the  land  naturally  unproductive ;  that  under  a  good  govern¬ 
ment  it  would  again  literally  flow  with  milk  and  honey  ;  that 
the  plains,  the  valleys  and  the  upland  slopes,  would  yield  corn 
for  man,  and  pasturage  for  innumerable  flocks  and  herds.”  * 
Speaking  of  the  plain  of  Jericho,  Dr.  Robinson  says,t  “  It 
is  certainly  one  of  the  richest  in  the  world ;  enjoying  all  the 
rains  like  the  hill-country,  and  susceptible,  besides,  of  unlim¬ 
ited  irrigation  from  copious  fountains.  Water  is  every- 
where'abundant ;  the  climate  propitious ;  the  nature  of  the 
soil  fertility  itself ;  nothing,  in  short,  is  wanting  but  the 
hand  of  man  to  till  the  ground.” 

VALLEY  OF  TJ11TAS. 

To  the  general  statements  which  have  been  made,  it  may 
not  be  superfluous  to  add  a  particular  example.  The  valley 
of  Urtas,  the  ancient  Etam,  is  near  the  Pools  of  Solomon, 
not  far  from  Bethlehem.  It  is  a  somewhat  extended,  narrow 
Wady,  between  opposite  hills,  which  rise  up  like  walls  of 

*  Christian  Researches  in  the  Holy  Land  (Boston,  1826),  p.  226. 

f  Biblical  Researches,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  304. 


148 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


rock,  in  some  places  five  hundred  feet  high.  A  part  of  the 
enclosed  valley  has  been  cultivated  for  a  long  time  under  the 
supervision  of  the  Greek  community  at  Jerusalem.  Another 
part  lay  unimproved  till  recently ;  the  natives  had  forsaken 
it,  and  it  had  fallen  into  such  neglect  as  to  seem  to  be  utterly 
sterile  and  useless.  A  few  years  .ago,  Mr.  Meshullam,  a 
converted  Jew,  at  the  head  of  a  small  agricultural  colony, 
took  possession  of  this  apparently  barren  tract,  and-attempted 
to  reclaim  and  cultivate  it.  lie  removed  the  rubbish  which 
choked  up  the  soil,  cleared  out  a  spring  that  had  almost  dis¬ 
appeared,  and  obtained  from  it  a  supply  of  water  sufficient 
for  irrigating  a  great  part  of  the  valley.  The  scene  is  now 
changed.  Fields  of  grain,  when  I  was  there,  on  the  nine¬ 
teenth  and  twentieth  of  April,  were  growing  along  the  bot¬ 
tom  of  the  Wady.  Fruit-trees  were  coming  forward,  with 
every  appearance  of  thrift  and  vigor.  Mr.  Meshullam  told 
me,  as  an  instance  of  the  fertility  of  the  land  and  climate, 
that  he  put  .a  peach-stone  into  the  ground  in  autumn  and 
obtained  fruit  from  it  the  same  year.  In  addition  to  the 
proper  products  of  the  East,  he  has  introduced  the  cultiva¬ 
tion  of  some  of  our  most  useful  vegetables,  and  with  entire 
success.  He  says  that  five  different  crops  of  vegetables, 
that  come  on  one  after  another,  may  be  raised  on  the  same 
field.  Nor  are  the  sides  of  those  rocky  hills  to  be  neglected. 
They  furnish,  he  assured  me,  the  best  possible  situation  for 
planting  vines ;  and  he  was  designing,  the  nest  year,  to  build 
a  row  of  terraces  from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  them,  for 
the  cultivation  of  grapes.  All  this  has  taken  place  in  a  spot 


MEMORY  OF  PROFESSOR  EDWARDS. 


149 


that  would  be  considered  inferior  to  many  parts  of  the  coun¬ 
try.  What,  then,  must  it  have  been  in  its  palmy  days  ! 
What  an  aspect  of  beauty  and  abundance  must  have  greeted 
the  eye  when  the  hand  of  culture  was  put  forth  everywhere 
to  improve  and  adorn  it !  What  would  such  a  soil  and  such 
a  climate  deny  to  an  industry  enjoying  the  protection  of  a 
stable  and  judicious  government?  Neglected  as  the  country 
now  is,  many  a  scene  passed  under  my  eye,  to  which  I  could 
apply  still  the  words  of  the  Psalmist : 

“  Tliou  (0  God)  visitest  the  earth  and  enrichest  it ; 

Thou  dost  abundantly  enrich  it  ; 

The  river  of  God  is  full  of  water. 

Thou  providest  their  corn  when  thou  hast  so  prepared  it  (the  earth  ;) 

Her  furrows  thou  dost  water. 

Thou  dost  level  her  ridges  ; 

With  large  drops  of  rain  thou  dost  cause  the  earth  to  flow  ; 

Her  springing  thou  dost  bless. 

Thou  crownest  the  year  with  thy  goodness, 

And  thy  paths  drop  fatness. 

They  drop  fatness  on  the  pastures  of  the  wilderness, 

And  with  rejoicing  the  hills  gird  themselves. 

Clothed  are  the  pastures  with  flocks, 

And  the  valleys  are  covered  over  with  corn  ; 

They  shout  for  joy  ;  yea,  they  sing.”  * 

*  I  have  availed  myself  of  a  translation  of  this  passage  from  the 
pen  of  the  lamented  B.  B.  Edwards,  late  Professor  in  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Andover.  I  cannot  write  his  name  without  emotions  of 
sad  but  tender  interest.  The  journey  to  which  these  pages  relate  was 
one  which  we  had  planned  to  execute  together  ;  it  had  been  the  sub- 

13* 


150 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ject  of  many  conversations  between  us,  and  of  long  cherished  desire 
on  both  sides.  How  much  more  useful  and  delightful  would  it  have 
been  in  the  society  of  such  a  friend  !  His  failing  health  obliged  him 
to  relinquish  the  undertaking  at  the  last  moment,  though  not  without 
a  hope  that  he  should  live  to  accomplish  it  at  a  future  time.  It  was 
otherwise  appointed.  It  was  my  privilege  to  receive  a  letter  from  him, 
just  before  leaving  the  holy  land,  in  which,  with  a  touching  allusion 
to  his  disappointment,  he  requested  that,  “  as  I  plucked  a  leaf  or  gath¬ 
ered  a  flower  here  and  there,  I  would  lay  aside  one,  also,  for  him 
and  in  a  week  from  that  time,  on  arriving  at  Smyrna,  I  heard  that  he 
had  been  called  away  to  his  rest  in  heaven.  He  died  at  Athens,  in 
Georgia,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1852.  The  impression  of  his  character, 
so  unique  in  its  combination  of  modesty  and  sterling  worth,  and  of 
his  various  intellectual  endowments  and  attainments,  will  never  be 
forgotten  by  those  who  knew  him.  The  Memoir  of  his  Life  and  La¬ 
bors,  so  worthily  prepared  by  his  friend  and  colleague,  the  Rev.  Hr. 
Park,  will  cause  him  to  be  remembered  in  future  times.  He  was 
so  long  associated  with  all  my  anticipations  of  eastern  travel,  and  was 
so  constant^  present  with  me  in  thought  during  the  journey,  that  I 
have  desired,  not  for  his  sake  but  mine,  to  record  his  name  on  the 
pages  of  this  humble  memorial  of  our  common  enterprise. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

AGRICULTURE.  ITS  OPERATIONS  AND  IMPLEMENTS. 


TURNING  THE  RIVERS  OF  WATER. 

J ust  before  leaving  the  cultivated  part  of  Egypt,  we  halted 
one  day  in  the  vicinity  of  some  gardens  of  vegetables, 
through  which  the  water  was  conveyed  by  means  of  little 
channels  or  trenches,  two  or  three  inches  deep.  They  could 
be  formed  in  the  soft  earth  very  easily  and  expeditiously ; 
and  were  carried  in  this  direction  or  that,  as  the  wants  of  the 
plantation  required.  Thus  the  gardener  had  the  streams 
which  flowed  in  these  trenches  entirely  under  his  control, 
and  could  turn  them  this  way  or  that,  as  he  pleased.  It  was 
this  mode  of  irrigation,  beyond  doubt,  which  gave  rise  to  the 
comparison  in  Proverbs  21,  1 :  “As  the  rivers,”  or,  more 
properly,  “  channels  of  water,  so  is  the  heart  of  the  king  in 
the  hand  of  Jehovah;  he  turneth  it  whithersoever  he  will.” 

WATERING  WITH  THE  FOOT. 

I  watched  attentively  to  observe  whether  the  gardener 
used  his  foot,  in  any  instance,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking 


152 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


down  the  edges  of  the  trenches,  when  he  wished  to  change 
the  direction  of  the  current.  lie  did  not,  however,  as  far  as 
I  noticed,  resort  to  that  expedient  (he  employed  a  light 
hoe) ;  though  it  was  obvious  that  he  could  have  done  so  with 
entire  ease,  and  I  cannot  doubt  that  it  is  a  common  mode  of 
accomplishing  the  object.  Several  writers  speak  of  having 
seen  the  water  conducted  thus  from  one  channel  to  another, 
under  the  guidance  of  the  foot  of  the  husbandman.  Thus 
Dr.  Shaw  says,*  that  the  Egyptians  plant  their  various  sorts 
of  pulse  in  rills,  and  that  when  they  water  them,  “  they 
stand  ready,  as  occasion  requires,  to  stop  and  divert  the  tor¬ 
rent,  by  turning  the  earth  against  it  with  the  foot,  and  open¬ 
ing,  at  the  same  time,  with  a  mattock,  a  new  track  to  receive 
it.”  This  practice  may  be  the  one  to  which  allusion  is  made 
in  Deuteronomy  11,  10,  where  the  subject  of  remark  is  the 
comparative  superiority  of  Palestine  to  Egypt.  “  The  land 
whither  thou  goest  to  possess  it,  is  not  as  the  land  of  Egypt, 
from  whence  ye  came  out,  where  thou  sowest  thy  seed  and 
waterest  it  with  thy  foot  as  a  garden  of  herbs ;  but  is  a  land 
of  hills  and  valleys,  and  drinketh  water  of  the  rain  of 
heaven.”  The  passage  does  not  refer  necessarily  to  the 
original  sources  of  obtaining  water,  as  some  have  said,  but 
to  the  supply  being  so  insufficient  as  to  oblige  the  Egyptians 
to  use  the  most  painstaking  economy  in  applying  the  water 
which  they  had. 

But  many  prefer  a  different  explanation  of  the  phrase, 
*  Travels  in  Barbary  and  the  Levant,  Yol.  n.,  p.  267. 


WATERING  MACHINE. 


153 


“  watering  with,  the  foot.”  Cruden  states  it  as  follows  :  * 
“  A  wheel  is  employed,  which  a  man  turns  with  the  motion 
of  his  feet,  by  ascending  successively  the  several  steps  which 
are  attached  to  it.  But,  since  while  he  is  thus  turning  the 
wheel  he  cannot  preserve  his  position,  he  holds  a  stay  in  his 
hands,  which  is  not  movable,  and  thus  supports  himself.  So 
that  in  this  work  the  hands  do  the  office  of  the  feet,  and  the 
feet  that  of  the  hands  ;  since  the  hands,  which  should  act, 
are  at  rest,  and  the  feet,  which  should  be  at  rest,  are  in 
action  and  give  motion  to  the  wheel.”  Philo  describes  such 
a  wheel,  and  some  modern  travelers  speak  of  its  continued 
use  in  Egypt.  Niebuhr  t  gives  a  drawing  of  a  machine  very 
similar  to  it,  but  says  that  he  saw  only  one  in  Egypt,  though 
he  afterwards  found  it  common  in  India.  I  do  not  recollect 
to  have  seen  it.  Wheels  for  raising  the  water  of  the  Nile  are 
very  common,  but  turned  generally  by  oxen  or  camels.  Mr. 
Lane,  in  his  work  on  the  Modefn  Egyptians,  speaks  at  some 
length  of  the  different  ways  of  raising  water,  but  says  nothing 
of  the  foot-wheel. 

THE  EASTERN  PLOUGH. 

This  article  is  differently  made  from  what  is  customary 
among  us.  It  is  lightly  built,  and  constructed  with  the  least 
possible  outlay  of  skill  or  expense.  It  consists  of  two  poles, 
which  cross  each  other  at  the  ends  near  the  ground.  The 
pole  turned  towards  the  oxen  is  fastened  to  the  yoke,  and 

*  Concordance,  under  the  word  “  Foot.” 

t  Besclireibung  nacli  Arabien,  &c.,  Vol.  i.,  p.  148. 


154 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


draws  the  implement ;  the  one  turned  towards  the  driver 
serves,  at  one  extremity,  as  a  ploughshare,  and  at  the  other 
as  a  handle.  I  first  saw  this  plough  in  use  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Gaza,  the  country  of  the  Philistines.  I  often  saw  the 
peasants  breaking  up  the  soil,  and  always  with  a  plough  having 
but  one  handle.  The  fashion  of  it  recalled  to  my  mind  the 
manner  in  which  the  Saviour  has  expressed  himself  in  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  inconstant,  faithless  disciple.  “  No  man,  having- 
put  his  hand  to  the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,”  (Luke  9,  62.)  It  was  interesting  to  re¬ 
mark  this  instance  of  exact  conformity  to  oriental  habits.  Had 
the  plough  in  that  country  been  made  as  ours  is  made,  the  lan¬ 
guage  would  have  been,  “No  man,  having  put  his  hands  to  the 
plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven.” 
A  learned  commentator,  uninformed  in  regard  to  this  point, 
would  be  apt  to  talk  of  a  grammatical  figure  here,  of  an 
exchange  of  the  plural  for  the  singular,  for  the  sake  of  a 
more  definite  expression.  Some  diversity  in  the  construction 
of  the  plough  may  be  expected  to  be  found  in  different  parts 
of  the  land ;  but  the  prevailing  form,  as  I  infer  both  from 
what  I  observed  and  from  the  testimony  of  others,  is  that 
described  above. 

As  the  soil  is  generally  thin,  and  the  plough  so  light,  the 
machine  glides  rapidly  over  the  surface ;  and,  unless  the 
laborer,  therefore,  keeps  his  eye  fixed  on  it,  the  plough  is  lia¬ 
ble  to  slip  aside,  without  breaking  up  the  earth  at  all.  The 
Saviour’s  illustration  implies  the  necessity  of  such  vigilance, 
and  is  founded  on  the  circumstance  here  mentioned.  The 


SHAMG All’s  ACHIEVEMENT. 


155 


calling  of  tlie  Christian  requires  singleness  of  aim,  decision, 
perseverance ;  and  he  who  fails  to  exert  these  qualities, 
though  he  may  seem  to  have  taken  some  of  the  first  steps  in 
the  path  to  heaven,  will  never  reach  that  blessed  world. 

The  plough  is  drawn  by  oxen,  sometimes  by  camels,  and, 
also,  by  cows  and  heifers.  I  saw  all  these  animals  employed, 
at  different  times,  in  this  branch  of  agriculture.  This  use 
of  heifers  in  ploughing  is  recognized  as  an  ancient  practice  in 
Judges  14,  18. 

O  7  • 

OX-GOAD. 

As  the  driver  of  the  team  employs  but  one  hand  in  hold¬ 
ing  the  plough,  the  other  hand  is  at  liberty  for  carrying  a 
goad.  This  is  a  very  different  affair  from  our  ox-goad. 
Maundrell,  who  had  the  curiosity  to  measure  several  of  these 
goads,  found  them  to  be  “  about  eight  feet  long,  and  at  the 
biggest  end  six  inches  in  circumference.  They  were  armed 
at  the  lesser  end  with  a  sharp  pricker  for  driving  the  oxen, 
and  at  the  other  end  with  a  small  spade  or  paddle  of  iron, 
strong  and  massy,  for  cleansing  the  plough  from  the  clay  that 
encumbers  it  in  working.”*  Tie  speaks  of  those  which  he 
saw  in  the  north  of  Syria  ;  those  that  I  saw  in  the  south  I 
should  judge  to  be  quite  as  large.  It  is  manifest  that  such 
an  instrument,  wielded  by  a  strong  arm,  would  do  no  mean 
execution.  It  is  easy,  therefore,  to  credit  the  account  of 
Shamgar’s  achievement,  who  made  such  havoc  among  his 
enemies  with  an  ox-goad.  See  Judges  3,  31.  We  may  sup¬ 
pose,  however  (so  fragmentary  is  the  notice),  that  he  was 

*  Journey  from  Aleppo  to  Jerusalem,  p.  110. 


156 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


not  entirely  alone ;  that  some  others  rallied  to  his  aid  with 
such  implements  of  labor  as  they  could  snatch  at  the  moment. 

A  PROVERB  OE  THE  HEBREWS. 

♦ 

The  beam  and  yoke  of  the  plough  are  so  short  that  the 
driver,  standing  behind  the  oxen,  is  able  to  reach  them  with 
his  long  goad.  Hence,  as  he  stands  there,  and  applies  his 
goad  from  that  position,  for  the  purpose  of  directing  his 
team,  a  refractory  animal  would  naturally  kick  against  the 
sharp  iron  when  pierced  with  it.  Out  of  this  fact  arose  the 
proverb  so  aptly  quoted  in  the  narrative  of  Paul’s  con¬ 
version  :  “  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me?  It  is  hard 
for  thee  to  kick  against  the  goads that  is,  his  opposition  to 
the  cause  and  will  of  Christ  must  be  unavailing ;  his  con¬ 
tinuance  of  it  would  serve-  only  to  bring  injury  and  ruin  on 
himself.  See  Acts  26,  14.  The  same  proverb  was  current 
among  the  Greeks  and  Romans;  for  in  early  times  they  used 
a  plough  of  the  like  construction,  which  they  directed  with 
one  hand,  while  they  held  the  goad  with  the  other. 

TREADING  OF  GRAPES. 

A  missionary  friend,  stationed  at  Aleppo,  whom  I  met  at 
Beirut,  informed  me  that  the  ancient  practice  of  treading  out 
grapes  with  the  feet  still  lingers  among  the  mountains  of 
Lebanon.  The  Koran  discourages  the  cultivation  of  the 
vine,  and  hence  this  operation  is  by  no  means  so  common  a 
sight  as  it  was  when  the  J ews  had  possession  of  the  country. 
He  described  to  me  the  ordinary  process  as  follows.  A  hoi- 


WINE-PRESS  AT  IIEBLEII. 


157 


low  place,  usually  a  rock,  is  scooped  out,  considerably  deeper 
at  one  end  than  the  other.  The  grapes  are  put  into  this 
trough,  and  two  or  more  persons,  with  naked  feet  and  legs, 
get  into  it,  where  they  jump  up  and  down,  crushing  the  fruit 
as  they  trample  on  it,  while,  to  enliven  their  labor,  they  often 
sing  at  the  same  time.  The  juice  flows  into  the  lower  part 
of  the  excavation.  It  was  mentioned  that  the  place  for 
treading  out  the  grapes  is  sometimes  dug  in  the  ground, 
lined,  probably,  with  a  coating  of  stone  or  brick.  The 
expression  in  Matthew  21,  33,  “and  he  digged  a  wine¬ 
press  ”  in  his  vineyard,  may  allude  to  such  an  excavation ; 
though  some  think  that  it  refers  to  a  trough  in  the  earth 
for  receiving  the  liquor  from  a  foot-press  placed  over  it. 

As  the  treaders  go  on  with  their  work  the  grapes  are  lia¬ 
ble  to  break  or  burst,  with  an  explosive  noise,  and  to  bespat¬ 
ter  them  with  the  blood-red  juice  from  head  to  foot.  Some 
of  the  grapes,  after  this  process,  need  to  be  pressed  still 
more.  For  this  purpose  a  board  is  placed  on  them,  and  a 
heavy  stone  screwed  down  upon  it  by  means  of  a  lever. 
Such,  no  doubt,  was  the  ancient  wine-press,  in  its  rudest 
form. 

But,  from  the  nature  of  the  case,  we  should  not  expect 
here  a  rigid  conformity  to  any  one  model.  Dr.  Robin¬ 
son  describes  a  wine-press  which  he  saw  at  Ilebleh,  near 
the  site  of  Antipatris  (Acts  23,  31),  which  was  hewTn  out 
of  a  rock  and  divided  into  two  parts.  The  upper  and  more 
shallow  part  was  the  place  where  the  grapes  were  put,,  the 

*  Bibliotheca  Sacra,  1853,  p.  24. 

14 


158 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


lower  and  deeper  one  was  the  place  for  receiving  the  liquid 
pressed  out  of  them.  It  was  a  work,  no  doubt,  of  the 
ancient  Hebrews  or  Philistines ;  since  this  part  of  the  land 
passed  alternately  from  the  hands  of  one  race  to  the  other. 
No  vineyards  exist  in  that  region  at  the  present  time.  Dr. 
Chandler,*  writing  from  Smyrna,  speaks  of  a  wine-press 
which  he  saw  there  of  a  different  fashion  still.  “  The  vin¬ 
tage  had  now  begun ;  the  juice  of  the  grapes  was  pressed 
out  for  the  wine  ;  a  man,  with  feet  and  legs  bare,  was  tread¬ 
ing  the  fruit  in  a  kind  of  cistern,  with  a  hole  or  vent  near 
the  bottom,  and  a  vessel  underneath  to  receive  the  liquor  ” 

Some  of  the  most  beautiful  as  well  as  sublime  imagery 
of  the  sacred  writers  is  derived  from  this  sphere  of  rural 
life  among  the  Hebrews.  -  The  following  are  some  of  the 
passages  which  exemplify  this  remark.  Isaiah  (63,  1,  sq.) 
says,  with  an  allusion  to  those  who  tread  the  wine-press,  and 
are  stained  with  the  juice  of  the  grapes, 

“  Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom, 

With  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah  ? 

This  that  is  glorious  in  his  apparel. 

Traveling  in  the  greatness  of  his  strength?  ” 

The  answer  is, 

“  It  is  I,  who  speak  in  righteousness. 

Mighty  to  save.” 

Again,  the  interrogator  asks, 


*  Cited  in  Cobbin’s  Oriental  Bible. 


THE  VINTAGE-SHOUT. 


159 


**  Why  is  thy  raiment  red, 

And  thy  garments  like  him  who  treads  the  wine-press  ? 5  ’ 

The  answer  is, 

“  The  wine-press  trod  I  alone, 

And  of  the  nations  no  one  was  with  me  ; 

And  I  trod  them  in  my  anger, 

And  trampled  them  in  my  fury  ; 

So  that  their  blood  was  sprinkled  on  my  garments, 

And  all  my  raiment  I  have  stained.” 

The  same  prophet  (16,  10)  announces  the  fall  of  Moab, 
thus : 

“  Taken  away  is  joy  and  gladness  from  the  garden, 

And  in  the  vineyards  shall  they  not  sing  nor  rejoice. 

In  the  wine-presses  the  treader  shall  not  tread  ; 

The  vintage-shout  I  have  hushed.” 

Jeremiah  (25,  30)  has  in  view  the  same  festive  scene : 

“  He  shall  roar  mightily  against  his  habitation  ; 

A  vintage-cry,  like  that  of  grape-treaders, 

Shall  he  take  up  against  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth.” 

For  another  similar  description  see  Jeremiah  58,  33. 
Language  derived  from  the  wine-press  is  applied  often  in  a 
figurative  manner.  Thus,  the  pressing  out  of  the  blood-red 
juice  of  the  grape  denotes  the  slaughter  or  punishment  of  the 
wicked.  This  is  the  origin  of  the  awful  representation  in 
Revelation  14,  19.  20.  The  prophet  Joel  (3,  13)  had 
already  expressed  himself  to  the  same  effect : 


160 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


“  Put  forth  the  sickle  ;  for  ripe  is  the  liar  vest. 

Come,  tread  ;  for  full  is  the  press. 

Overflowing  are  the  vats  ;  for  great  is  their  wickedness.” 


THRESHING-FLOORS. 

» 

I  was  not  in  Palestine  late  enough  to  witness  the  act  of 
threshing,  but,  as  I  passed  through  the  country,  I  had  sev¬ 
eral  places  pointed  out  to  me,  said  to  be  used  for  that  purpose. 
The  threshing-floors  are  simply  plots  of  ground  in  the  open 
air,  a  few  rods  in  extent,  smoothed  off  and  beaten  hard. 
Sometimes  a  broad  stone,  projecting  slightly  above  the 
ground,  forms  the  area  of  the  floor  wholly  or  in  part.  The 
rocky  bottom  of  the  lower  Pool  of  Gfihon,  on  the  west  of  Jeru¬ 
salem,  no  longer  employed  as  a  reservoir,  affords  a  convenient 
place  for  threshing,  and,  as  I  was  told,  in  the  time  of  har¬ 
vest  is  applied  to  that  use.  The  top  or  side  of  a  hill  is  often 
preferred,  for  the  purpose  of  having  the  benefit  of  the  wind. 
Most  of  the  floors  that  fell  under  my  notice  were  on  high 
ground.  On  the  plain  of  Akka  I  passed  a  singular  mound, 
apparently  artificial,  supposed  to  have  been  thrown  up  there 
by  the  crusaders  for  military  purposes.  Those  who  culti¬ 
vate  the  neighboring  fields  resort  thither  to  thresh  their 
grain.  The  threshing-floor  of  Oman,  the  Jebusite,  which 
David  purchased  for  the  erection  of  an  altar,  was  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Moriah,  (1  Chronicles  21,  15,  sq.)  That 
the  Hebrews,  like  the  present  inhabitants  of  the  East,  left 
their  floors  uncovered,  we  learn  incidentally  from  the  account 
of  Gideon’s  fleece.  “Behold,”  he  said,  “  I  will  put  a  fleece 
of  wool  on  the  floor ;  and  if  the  dew  be  on  the  fleece  only, 


mechanic’s  shoe. 


161 


and  it  be  dry  upon  all  the  earth  besides,  then  shall  I  know 
that  thou  wilt  save  Israel  by  my  hand,  as  thou  hast  said,” 
(Judges  6,  37.) 

THRESHING  MACHINE. 

At  Beirut  I  Sought  out  a  mechanic’s  shop,  in  order  to  see 
a  threshing  instrument,  described  to  me  as  used  generally  in 
that  part  of  Syria,  and  as  similar  to  that  of  the  ancient  in¬ 
habitants.  The  frame  was  composed  of  thick  pieces  of  plank, 
turned  up  in  front  like  our  stone-sledge,  and  perforated  with 
holes  underneath  for  holding  the  teeth.  The  teeth  consisted 
of  pieces  of  sharp  basaltic  rock,  about  three  inches  long,  and 
hardly  less  firm  than  iron  itself.  This  machine  is  drawn  over 
the  grain  by  horses  or  oxen,  and  serves,  together  with  the 
trampling  of  the  feet  of  the  animals,  to  beat  out  the  kernels 

4 

and  cut  up  the  straw,  preparatory  to  winnowing.  It  is  to  an 
instrument  of  this  description  that  the  prophet  alludes,  when 
he  says:  “Behold,  I  will  make  thee”  (that  is,  the  Jewish 
nation)  “  as  a  new  sharp  threshing  instrument,  having  teeth ; 
thou  shalt  thresh  the  mountains  and  beat  them  small,  and 
shalt  make  the  hills  as  chaff,”  (Isaiah  41,  15.)  The  teeth 
were  sometimes  made  of  iron,  as  appears  from  Amos  1,  3. 

WINNOWING  SHOVEL. 

The  modern  Greeks,  in  many  of  their  customs,  approach 
nearer  to  the  oriental  nations  than  to  those  of  Western 
Europe.  Not  far  from  the  site  of  ancient  Corinth,  I  passed  a 
heap  of  grain,  which  some  laborers  were  employed  in  win¬ 
nowing.  They  used,  for  throwing  up  the  mingled  wheat  and 
.U# 


* 


162 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


chaff,  a  three-pronged  wooden  fork,  having  a  handle  three  or 
four  feet  long.  Like  this,  no  doubt,  was  the  “  fan,”  or  winnow¬ 
ing  shovel,  which  John  the  Baptist  represents  Christ  as  bear¬ 
ing,  in  token  of  the  purifying  power  of  his  doctrine  :  “  Whose 
fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  shall  thoroughly  purge  his  floor, 
and  gather  his  wheat  into  his  garner.”  See  Matthew  3,  12 
and  Luke  3,  IT.  Isaiah  (30,  24)  and  Jeremiah  (15,  7)  refer 
to  this  implement.  Those  who  have  been  in  Syria  later  in 
the  season  say  that  such  a  fork  is  still  used  there  for  throw¬ 
ing  up  the  grain  against  the  wind,  in  separating  it  from  the 
chaff. 

LODGES  IN  THE  FIELDS. 

Booths  or  lodges  are  still  seen  in  gardens  or  fields,  under 
„  which  the  keeper  sits  to  protect  his  fruits  from  the  depreda¬ 
tion  to  which  they  are  exposed  from  mischievous  animals  or 
thieves.  I  noticed  them  on  different  occasions.  They  are 
built  of  branches  and  leaves,  interwoven  so  as  to  exclude  the 
sun,  or  of  pieces  of  mat,  thrown  loosely  over  a  low  frame¬ 
work  of  poles.  They  are  merely  large  enough  to  shelter  a 
single  person.  During  the  part  of  the  year  when  the  fruits 
are  ripening,  and,  consequently,  are  in  most  danger  of  being 
destroyed  or  stolen,  it  is  customary  to  maintain  a  watch  unin¬ 
terruptedly  by  day  and  night.  To  see  one  of  these  miserable 
sheds,  standing  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  field,  or  on  the  mar¬ 
gin  of  it,  occupied  by  its  solitary  tenant,  presents  to  the  eye 
a  striking  image  of  dreariness  and  desolation.  Hence,  the 
prophet  Isaiah  (1,  8),  when  he  would  represent  the  territory 
of  Judah  as  comparatively  waste,  depopulated,  says  that  the 


DISHONEST  GAINS. 


163 


land,  “  the  daughter  of  Zion,  should  be  left  as  a  lodge  in  a 
garden  of  cucumbers.”  It  adds  to  the  significance  of  the 
figure  that  the  watcher  is  often  a  decrepit  or  aged  person; 
since  the  employment  requires  but  little  exertion  beyond  that 
of  giving  the  alarm  in  case  of  danger,  and  the  more  robust 
and  active -are  needed-for  other  labors. 

We  have  an  allusion  to  the  same  subject  in  Job  27, 16,  sq.: 

**  He  builds  like  the  moth  his  house, 

And  like  the  booth  which  the  watcher  has  made.” 

This  is  said  of  the  rich  man,  who  has  heaped  up  wealth  by 
dishonest  means ;  the  fabric  which  he  rears  on  such  a  founda¬ 
tion  shall  not  endure ;  his  prosperity,  like  a  booth  that  stands 
for  a  few  brief  months,  shall  soon  pass  away. 

“  Though  he  heap  up  silver  as  dust, 

And  procure  raiment  as  clay  ; 

He  may  procure  it,  but  the  just  shall  wear  it, 

And  the  innocent  divide  the  silver.” 

WATCH-TOWERS. 

The  watch-towers  have  the  same  general  object  as  the 
lodges,  but  are  confined  chiefly  to  vineyards  and  orchards, 
and  are  built  in  a  more  substantial  manner.  They  are  so 
peculiar  in  their  appearance,  that  it  appears  to  me  strange, 
in  looking  back  to  the  occurrence,  that  I  did  not  recognize 
them  at  first  sight.  They  caught  my  attention  first  as  I 
was  approaching  Bethlehem,  from  the  south-east.  They 
appeared  in  almost  every  field  within  sight  from  that  direc- 


164 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


tion;  they  were  circular  in  shape,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  high, 
and,  being  built  of  stones,  looked,  at  a  distance,  like  a  little 
forest  of  obelisks.  I  was  perplexed  for  some  time  to  decide 
what  they  were;  my  traveling  companions  were  equally  at 
fault.  Suddenly,  in  a  lucky  moment,  the  words  crossed  my 
mind,  “  A  certain  man  planted  a  vineyard,  and  set  a  hedge 
about  it,  and  built  a  tower,  and  let  it  out  to  husbandmen, 
and  went  into  a  far  country,”  (Mark  12,  1.)  This  recol¬ 
lection  cleared  up  the  mystery.  There,  before  my  eyes, 
stood  the  towers  of  which  I  had  so  often  read  and  thought ; 
such  as  stood  there  when  David  led  forth  his  flocks  to  the 
neighboring  pastures ;  such  as  furnished  to  the  sacred  writers 
and  the  Saviour  himself  so  many  illustrations  for  enforcing 
what  they  taught. 

These  towers  are  said  to  be  sometimes  square  in  form,  as 
well  as  round,  and  as  high  as  forty  or  fifty  feet.  Those 
which  I  examined  had  a  small  door  near  the  ground,  and  a 
level  space  on  the  top,  where  a  man  could  sit  and  command 
a  view  of  the  plantation.  I  afterwards  saw  a  great  many  of 
these  structures  near  Hebron,  where  the  vine  still  flourishes 
in  its  ancient  home;  for  there,  probably,  was  Eshcol,  whence 
the  Hebrew  spies  returned  to  Joshua,  with  the  clusters  of 
grapes  which  they  had  gathered  as  evidence  of  the  fertility 
of  the  land.  Some  of  the  towers  here  are  so  built  as  to 
serve  as  houses ;  and,  during  the  vintage,  it  is  said  that  the 
inhabitants  of  Hebron  take  up  their  abode  in  them  in  such 
numbers  as  to  leave  the  town  almost  deserted.  A  passage  in 
one  of  the  Gospels  shows  that  the  erection  of  the  tower  involved 


COUNTING  THE  COST. 


165 


often  great  expense.  “  Which  of  you,”  says  Christ,  “  intend¬ 
ing  to  build  a  tower,  sitteth  not  down  first  and  counteth  the 
cost,  whether  he  have  sufficient  to  finish  it?”  To  say  of  a 
man  that  “  he  began  to  build,  and  was  not  able  to  finish,” 
was  equivalent  to  pronouncing  him  short-sighted,  improvi¬ 
dent,  reckless.  See  Luke  14,  28 — 80. 

PARABLE  OE  THE  VINEYARD. 

Here  at  Hebron  I  was  struck  with  the  singular  care  with 
which  the  vine-dressers  had  picked  out  the  stones  from  the 
fields  and  heaped  them  up,  so  as  to  form  an  enclosure  around 
the  vineyards.  The  prophet  Isaiah,  in  his  parable  of  the 
vineyard  (5,  1,  sq.),  brings  forward  this  circumstance  as  a 
trait  of  the  ancient  husbandry.  The  beautiful  illustration 
which  he  employs  includes  so  many  particulars  connected 
with  the  cultivation  of  the  vine  among  the  Hebrews,  and 
still  retained  in  the  East,  that  I  may  be  allowed  to  quote 
here  so  pertinent  a  passage. 

“  My  friend  had  a  vineyard 

On  the  summit  of  a  fruitful  hill  ; 

And  he  dug  it  up,  and  freed  it  from  stones, 

And  planted  it  with  a  noble  vine  ; 

And  built  a  tower  in  the  midst  of  it, 

And  also  hewed  out  a  wine-press  in  it ; 

And  he  expected  that  it  would  bring  forth  grapes. 

But  it  brought  forth  worthless  ones. 

c‘  Hear  now,  and  I  will  make  known  to  you 
What  I  purpose  to  do  to  my  vineyard. 


166  SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

I  will  take  away  its  hedge,  and  it  shall  be  devoured  ; 

X  will  destroy  its  wall,  and  it  shall  be  trodden  down  ; 

And  I  will  make  it  a  desolation. 

It  shall  not  be  pruned  nor  digged, 

But  shall  grow  up  with  thorns  and  briers.” 

HEDGES. 

The  vine-dresser,  in  the  extract  which  precedes,  threatens 
to  “take  away  the  hedge”  which  surrounded  the  unprofitable 
vineyard.  I  have  not  yet  spoken  of  this  mode  of  protection. 
In  addition  to  a  stone-wall,  or  as  a  substitute  for  it,  the  eastern 
vineyards  have  often  a  hedge  of  thorns  around  them.  A  com¬ 
mon  plant  for  this  purpose  is  the  prickly  pear,  a  species  of 
cactus,  which  grows  several  feet  high,  and  as  thick  as  a  man’s 
body,  armed  with  sharp  thorns,  and  thus  forming  an  almost 
impervious  defence.  The  Saviour  speaks  of  such  a  hedge  as 
planted  around  the  vineyard  which  was  leased  to  the  unjust 
husbandmen,  (Mark  12,  1.)  He  refers  to  it,  also,  though 
less  directly,  in  the  parable  of  the  supper  :  “  The  lord  said 
unto  the  servant,  Go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges, 
and  compel  them  to  come  in that  is,  Go  out  into  the  more 
public  ways,  and  the  narrow  paths  which  run  between  the 
hedges  that  separate  the  vineyards  and  gardens  from  one 
another.  See  Luke  14,  23. 

THE  ANCIENT  LANDMARK. 

In  proceeding  from  Anata  to  Neby  Samuil,  places  which  I 
have  mentioned  already,*  we  left  the  beaten  path  and  struck 


*  See  the  75th  and  82d  pages. 


ANCIENT  LANDMARK. 


16T 


across  the  cultivated  fields,  for  the  purpose  of  shortening  the 
distance.  We  encountered  no  obstruction  in  doing  this;  for 
though  the  gardens  and  vineyards  are  usually  surrounded  by 
a  stone  wall  or  hedge  of  prickly  pear,  the  grain  fields,  on  the 
contrary,  though  they  belong  to  different  proprietors,  are  not 

* 

separated  by  any  enclosure  from  each  other.  The  boundary 
between  them  is  indicated  by  heaps  of  small  stones,  or  some¬ 
times  by  single  upright  stones,  placed  at  intervals  of  a  rod 
or  more  from  each  other.  This  is  the  ancient  landmark  of 
which  we  read  in  the  Old  Testament.  The  fields  through 
which  we  passed  at  this  time  were  divided  off  from  each 
other  in  this  manner. 

It  is  obvious  that  a  dishonest  man  could  remove  these 
stones  a  few  feet,  without  its  being  readily  perceived,  and 
thus  enlarge  his  own  field  by  encroaching  on  that  of  another. 
It  is  with  reference  to  this  species  of  dishonesty  that  Moses 
says  (Deuteronomy  27, 17),  “  Cursed  be  he  that  removeth  his 
neighbor’s  landmark,  and  all  the  people  shall  say,  Amen.” 
So  in  Deuteronomy  19,  14,  “Thou  shalt  not  remove  thy 
neighbor’s  boundary  which  they  of  old  time  have  established;” 
and  in  Proverbs  22,  28,  “  Remove  not  the  ancient  landmark 
which  thy  fathers  have  set  up.” 

This  mode  of  dividing  one  field  from  another  explains, 
also,  the  peculiar  phraseology  in  Ruth  2,  3.  It  was  the  lot 
of  Ruth,  it  is  said  there,  “  to  light  on  a  part  of  the  field 
belonging  to  Boaz;”  that  is,  it  was  an  open,  cultivated  tract 
of  country  where  she  went  to  glean,  and  the  particular  part  of 


168 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


it  to  which  her  steps  were  directed  was  a  part  that  belonged 
to  her  kinsman. 

SEED  BY  THE  ROAD-SIDE. 

The  ordinary  roads  or  paths  in  the  East  lead  often  along  the 
edge  of  the  fields,  which  are  unenclosed,  as  described  in  the  last 
article.  Hence,  as  the  sower  scatters  his  seed,  some  of  it  is 
liable  to  fall  beyond  the  ploughed  portion,  on  the  hard,  beaten 
ground,  which  forms  the  way-side.  This  circumstance  ex¬ 
plains  a  trait  in  the  parable  of  the  sower,  to  which  we  have 
nothing  corresponding  in  our  usages.  See  Matthew  13,  3, 
sq. :  “  A  sower  went  forth  to  sow :  and,  as  he  sowed,  some 
seeds  fell  by  the  way-side,  and  the  fowls  came  and  devoured 
them  up.”  Hence,  too,  we  find  it  related  that  on  a  certain 
Sabbath  the  Saviour  and  his  disciples  “  passed  through  the 
corn-fields not  that  they  trampled  down  the  grain,  as  the 
expression  might  suggest  if  understood  according  to  our 
ideas,  but  that  they  followed  one  of  those  paths,  which 
bounded  the  fields,  where  the  grain  stood  within  reach  as 
they  went  along. 

COMPLAINT  OF  THE  PHARISEES. 

The  other  incident  mentioned  in  the  same  connection, 
namely,  that  of  their  plucking  the  ears  of  wheat,  rubbing 
out  the  kernels  in  their  hands,  and  eating  them  (Luke  6,  1), 
is  one  which  the  traveler  sees  often  at  present  who  is  in  Pal¬ 
estine  at  the  time  of  the  gathering  of  the  harvest.  Dr.  Rob¬ 
inson  relates  the  following  case.  “  Our  Arabs  were  an  hun¬ 
gered,  and,  going  into  the  fields,  they  plucked  the  ears  of  corn 


NARROW  PATHS. 


169 


and  did  eat,  rubbing  them  in  their  hands.  On  being  ques¬ 
tioned,  they  said  this  was  an  old  custom,  and  no  one  would 
speak  against  it ;  they  were  supposed  to  be  hungry,  and  it 
was  allowed  as  a  charity.”  *  The  Pharisees  complained  of 
the  disciples  for  violating  the  Sabbath,  and  not  any  rights  of 
property. 

SHUNNING  THE  PUBLIC  WAYS. 

The  unenclosed  state  of  the  country  rendering  it  possible 
to  move  so  easily  from  one  place  to  another,  to  go,  if  I  may 
so  express  it,  almost  anywhere,  any  way,  recalls  a  statement 
in  Judges  5,  6,  of  which  it  illustrates  the  meaning.  It  is 
said  that  “  in  the  da}^s  of  Shamgar,  the  son  of  Anath,  the 
highways  were  unoccupied,  and  the  travelers  walked  through 
byways.”  The  times  were  times  of  anarchy  and  insecurity. 
Bobbers  infested  the  country.  Those  who  had  occasion  to 
journey,  in  order  to  escape  being  waylaid  and  plundered, 
found  it  necessary  to  shun  the  customary  roads,  and  pursue 
their  way  through  the  fields,  where  the  absence  of  walls  and 
fences  enabled  them  to  pass  without  special  difficulty,  whether 
on  foot  or  with  animals. 

NARROW  PATHS. 

In  the  vicinity  of  Beit  Hanina,  a  village  near  Jerusalem, 
we  passed  through  several  narrow  paths  which  lay  between 
the  stone  walls  enclosing  the  noble  vineyards  and  orchards 
which  exist  there.  We  were  obliged  to  advance  in  single 
file ;  the  space  was  hardly  large  enough  to  allow  the  horse 

*  Biblical  Researches,  Yol.  ii.,  p.  192. 

15 


170 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


or  donkey  with  his  rider  to  proceed ;  and  even  then  some 
caution  was  needed  to  prevent  the  feet  from  being  crushed 
against  the  projecting  stones.  We  were  reminded  of  Ba¬ 
laam’s  adventure.  It  may  have  been  in  some  such  pass  as 
this  that  the  prophet  found  himself  hedged  up,  where  his 
mule  could  neither  advance  nor  turn  aside,  because  an  unseen 
adversary  obstructed  his  way. 


CHAPTER  Y. 

GEOGRAPHICAL  ACCURACY  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Under  this  title  I  propose  to  mention  some  instances  in 
which  the  observations  of  the  traveler  in  Palestine  enable 
him  to  verify  the  accuracy  of  the  sacred  writers  in  the  geo¬ 
graphical  notices  and  local  allusions  which  occur  on  almost 
every  page  of  the  Bible.  The  subject  is  an  extensive  one, 
and  admits  of  a  limited  illustration  only  within  the  compass 
of  a  work  like  the  present.  I  shall  restrict  myself  to  a  few 
examples  of  an  incidental  character,  which  stand  in  some 
special  relation  to  my  own  journey. 


VALUE  OF  SUCH  ACCURACY. 

Before  entering  on  my  immediate  object  here,  I  would 
premise  a  remark  or  two  respecting  the  value  of  this  agree¬ 
ment  between  the  Scriptures  and  the  geography  of  the  holy 
land,  as  a  testimony  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible.  Regarded  in 
the  light  of  such  testimony,  it  has  both  a  negative  and  a 
positive  side.  It  not  only  frees  the  Bible  from  a  class  of 
objections  which  might  be  and  have  been  urged  against  its 
claims  to  veracity,  but,  in  so  far  as  the  agreement  can  be 


172 


■SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


shown  to  be  obviously  unstudied,  incidental,  it  furnishes  a 
direct  proof  of  the  truthful  character  of  the  sacred  Word. 

The  following  supposition  will  illustrate  this  statement : 
We  read  in  the  book  of  Genesis  that  when  Sodom  and 
Gomorrah  were  destroyed  by  fire  from  heaven,  Abraham- was 
dwelling  in  his  tent  by  the  oaks  of  Mamre,  near  Hebron, 
(Genesis  18,  1.)  On  the  morning  after  that  awful  catas¬ 
trophe,  it  is  said  that  “  he  looked  toward  ”  the  site  of  those 
cities,  “  and  all  the  land  of  the  plain,  and  beheld,  and  lo,  the 
smoke  of  the  country  went  up  as  the  smoke  of  a  furnace,” 
(Genesis  19,  28.)  Suppose  travelers  now  had  returned  from 
the  East,  saying  that  the  region  of  the  Dead  Sea  is  not  visi¬ 
ble  from  the  neighborhood  of  Hebron,  and  that  Abraham, 
therefore,  could  never  have  seen  any  rising  smoke  from  that 
position,  what  a  shock  would  this  give  to  our  confidence  in 
the  Bible !  Every  one  feels  that  such  a  representation,  if 
true,  would  encumber  the  Scriptures  with  a  serious  difficulty. 
If  such  errors  are  to  be  found  in  them,  if  the  writers  betray 
such  ignorance  of  the  relative  situation  of  the  places  which 
they  mention,  they  would  incur  the  suspicion  of  having 
recorded  not  facts  but  inventions  of  their  own,  or  mythic  tra¬ 
ditions  in  which  they  could  no  longer  distinguish  the  true 
and  the  false  from  each  other.  If  convicted  of  mistakes 
here,  who  could  resist  the  impression  that  they  may  be  falli¬ 
ble  also  as  religious  teachers,  and  thus  forfeit  the  character 
from  which  they  claim  their  authority  over  the  faith  and  con¬ 
sciences  of  men?  Hence,  to  show  that  objections  of  this 
nature  have  no  proper  foundation  subserves  a  two-fold  pur- 


THE  VIEW  FROM  HEBRON. 


173 


pose  ;  it  turns  back  one  of  the  weapons  with  which  opposers 
have  assailed  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  and,  at  the  same 
time,  strengthens  our  confidence  in  them  as  authentic,  relia¬ 
ble,  and  capable  of  receiving  fresh  confirmation  from  the 
results  of  all  true  progress  in  investigation  and  knowledge. 

I  presented  just  now  an  imaginary  case,  for  the  purpose 
of  illustration.  I  return  to  that  to  say  that  the  geography 
of  the  Pentateuch,  so  far  from  being  involved  in  any  contra¬ 
diction  by  what  is  said  of  Abraham  on  the  occasion  referred 
to,  is  confirmed  entirely  by  the  testimony  of  eye-witnesses. 
From  the  height  which  overlooks  Hebron,  where  Abraham 
stood,  as  he  beheld  the  proof  that  the  guilty  cities  had  per¬ 
ished,  the  observer  at  the  present  day  has  an  extensive  view 
spread  out  before  him  towards  the  Head  Sea.  The  hills  of 
Moab,  sloping  down  towards  that  sea  on  the  east,  and  a  part 
of  Idumea,  are  all  in  sight.  A  cloud  of  smoke  rising  from 
the  plain  would  be  visible  to  a  person  at  Hebron  now,  and 
could  have  been,  theiefore,  to  Abraham,  as  he  looked  toward 
Sodom  on  the  morning  after  its  destruction  by  Jehovah. 

I  pass  now  from  these  preliminary  remarks  to  the  proper 
subject  of  this  chapter  of  the  book. 

NOTICE  OF  BETHEL. 

I  spent  the  night  of  the  twenty-eighth  of  April  at  Beitin, 
the  Bethel,  in  Jacob’s  history,  where  he  saw  the  vision  of 
the  ladder,  with  the  angels  ascending  and  descending  upon 
it.  This  village  is  about  twelve  miles  north  of  Jerusalem. 
A  brief  notice  is  due  to  a  place  of  so  much  interest.  The 

15* 


174 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


village  now  there,  which  has  succeeded  to  the  ancient  one, 
stands  on  the  declivity  of  a  hill  which  slopes  towards  the 
south.  The  highway  which  led  from  Judea  to  Galilee  runs 
a  little  to  the  west,  and  a  narrow  valley,  extremely  fertile, 
lies  on  the  east.  Bethel  is  first  mentioned  in  Genesis  12,  8. 

As  Abraham  stopped  there  once  and  again  in  his  pastoral 
migrations,  we  may  infer  that  he  found  the  country  well 
adapted  to  grazing  purposes.  It  answers  to  that  description 
still.  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  seen  anywhere  so  many 
herds  of  cattle,  and  of  such  fine  appearance,  as  I  saw  in  this 
particular  region.  The  basin  of  an  immense  reservoir  still 
remains  at  the  foot  of  the  hill ;  the  southern  wall  of  which 
is  quite  perfect,  though  the  other  parts  are  more  or  less 
broken  or  have  disappeared.*  No  one  can  see  this  ruin,  and 
doubt  that  it  belongs  to  an  early  Hebrew  age ;  for  the  size 
and  peculiar  shape  of  the  stones  afford  decisive  proof  of  such 
an  origin.  A  small  pool  of  water  was  standing  at  the  east 
end  of  the  reservoir,  in  which  the  frogs  were  croaking  in  a 
lively  manner.  Two  living  springs,  also,  issue  from  the 
ground,  to  which  females  from  the  village  came  down,  from 
time  to  time,  and  filled  their  pitchers.  The  other  ruins 
there  are  of  a  mixed  character.  Some  have  thought  that 
they  could  distinguish  among  them  the  remains  of  churches 
and  military  towers  built  by  the  crusaders,  as  well  as  single 
stones  and  heaps  of  rubbish,  which  may  date  back  to  Jewish 
times. 

*  The  dimensions  of  the  tank  are  given  as  three  hundred  and  four¬ 
teen  feet  in  length,  and  two  hundred  and  seventeen  feet  in  breadth. 


RAPIDS  IN  THE  JOPvDAN. 


175 


PARTING  OF  ABRAHAM  AND  LOT. 

We  encamped  for  the  night  within  the  enclosure  of  the  old 
reservoir.  It  was  my  privilege  on  that  evening  to  bow  the 
knee,  and  invoke  the  protection  of  God,  where  Jacob  of  old 
lodged  as  a  wayfarer,  and  vowed  “  that  if  God  would  be 
with  him,  and  would  keep  him  in  the  way  that  he  should  go, 
and  cause  him  to  come  again  to  his  father’s  house  in  peace, 

then  the  Lord  should  be  his  God,”  and  he  would  serve 

0 

him  more  perfectly,  (Genesis  28,  16,  sq.)  While  the 
men  were  putting  up  the  tent  and  preparing  for  the  even¬ 
ing  meal,  I  went  to  an  eminence  within  sight,  on  the  east, 
to  examine  the  ruins  of  a  fortress  and  a  church,  which  are 
found  there.  From  this  height  I  had  a  distinct  view  of  the 
Jordan  over  the  tops  of  the  intervening  hills,  and  could 
trace  ‘its  course  for  some  considerable  distance,  north  and 
south,  by  means  of  the  rich  verdure  which  lined  its  margin 
on  both  sides.  In  one  place  I  thought  I  could  see  a  white 
foam  or  spray,  as  if  the  current  was  broken  by  some  obstruc¬ 
tion.  In  this  opinion  I  was  probably  correct,  for  Lieutenant 
Lynch,  who  floated  down  the  Jordan,  from  the  Lake  of  Gali¬ 
lee  to  the  Dead  Sea,  ascertained  that  the  river,  in  its  inter¬ 
mediate  course,  rushes  over  not  fewer  than  twenty-seven 
violent  rapids,  in  addition  to  many  others  which  are  less 
precipitous. 

As  I  stood  surveying  this  scene,  I  must  have  been  near  the 
spot  where  Abraham  and  Lot  parted  from  each  other,  as 
related,  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Genesis.  Abraham,  it  is 


176 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


said,  on  his  return  from  Egypt,  “  pitched  his  tent  between 

Bethel  and  Hai.”  This  latter  place  can  be  shown  to  have 

been,  in  all  probability,  near  the  modern  Deir  l)iwan,  which 

was  conspicuous  from  where  I  stood,  a  little  to  the  south-east 

of  Beitin,  or  Bethel.  Hence,  my  position  here  was  “  between 

Bethel  and  Hai,”  which  the  sacred  narrative  designates  as 

the  place  where  Abraham  encamped.  We  are  told  that  the 

possessions  of  the  patriarch  had  become  great ;  he  “  was 

very  rich  in  cattle,  in  silver  and  in  gold.”  So,  also,  Lot, 

“  who  went  with  him,  had  flocks  and  herds  and  tents.”  To 

procure,  therefore,  an  ampler  range  of  pasturage,  and  to  put 

an  end  to  the  quarrels  which  had  begun  to  arise  between 

their  respective  herdsmen,  Abraham  proposed  to  Lot  that 

they  should  separate,  and  dwell  in  different  parts  of  the  land. 

Hear  the  venerable  Sheikh’s  magnanimous  offer.  “  Is  not 

the  whole  land  before  thee  ?  Separate  thyself,  I  pray  thee, 

from  me ;  if  thou  wdlt  take  the  left  hand,  then  I  will  go  to 

% 

the  right  ;  or  if  thou  depart  to  the  right  hand,  then  I  will 
go  to  the  left.”  Now  follows  the  circumstance  which  shows 
how  quietly  but  rigidly  the  narrative  adjusts  itself  to  the 
external  situation  of  the  parties.  “  And  Lot  lifted  up  his 
eyes  and  beheld  all  the  plain  of  Jordan,  that  it  was  well 
watered  everywhere  *  *  even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord, 
like  the  land  of  Egypt.  Then  Lot  chose  him  all  the  plain 
of  Jordan,  and  Lot  journeyed  east ;  and  they  separated  them¬ 
selves  the  one  from  the  other.”  It  is  to  be  remarked,  now, 
that  it  is  not  by  any  means  at  every  point  not  more  remote 
from  the  Jordan  than  this  eminence  “  between  Bethel  and 


HOW  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  JORDAN  APPEARS.  177 

Ilai,”  that  the  traveler,  as  lie  pursues  his  journey  northward, 
obtains  a  view  of  the  river  and  its  fields.  Higher  ground 
may  intervene  to  cut  off  the  prospect.  Then,  again,  the 
appearance  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  where  it  comes  into 
sight  from  some  particular  place,  may  be,  not  that  of  a  fer¬ 
tile,  inviting  region,  but  unproductive,  forbidding.*  Just 
here,  on  the  contrary,  a  little  to  the  east  of  Bethel,  the  eye 
rests  at  this  moment  upon  exactly  such  a  scene  as  Lot  is  rep¬ 
resented  as  beholding  when  he  selected  “  the  plain  of  the 
Jordan  ”  as  the  place  of  his  residence.!  There  is  the  river 
gleaming  over  the  hill-tops  ;  there  are  the  broad  meadows 
visible  on  either  bank ;  and  the  waving  line  of  verdure  which 
marks  the  course,  of  the  stream  I  cannot  better  describe  than 
by  saying,  after  the  example  of  the  sacred  writer,  that  it 

reminds  one,  though  certainly  much  less  imposing,  of  the 

% 

rich  fields  fertilized  by  the  Nile,  as  the  beholder  looks  down 
upon  them  from  the  great  pyramid  near  Cairo.  The  valley 
of  the  Jordan,  as  seen  here,  lies  “  east”  from  Bethel;  pre¬ 
cisely  the  direction  in  which  Lot  moved,  after  making  choice 
of  that  region  as  his  future  home. 

I  cannot  expect  to  excite  in  the  reader’s  mind  the  interest 
which  such  an  observation  excited  in  my  own.  It  may  be 

*  As  to  the  varying  aspects  of  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  though  in  the 
main  exceedingly  fertile,  the  reader  will  find  definite  information  in 
Lynch’s  account  of  his  voyage  from  the  Lake  of  Galilee  to  the  Dead 
$ea. 

t  The  catastrophe  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  altered  the  character  of 
the  southern  part  of  the  valley  ;  but  there  is  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  it  affected  the  part  north  of  the  Dead  Sea. 


178 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


necessary  that  one  should  stand  on  the  spot  and  survey  the 
landscape  with  his  own  eyes,  in  order  to  perceive  the  full 
effect  of  such  a  confirmation  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible ;  but 
surely  no  one  who  has  done  so, — who  has  traversed  the  coun¬ 
try  and  observed  how  its  minutest  geographical  features  are 
reflected  back  to  us  in  the  Scriptures,  —  can  doubt  that  the 
writers  lived  amid  the  scenes  which  they  describe,  and  have 
interwoven  in  their  narratives  so  many  accurate  allusions  to 
them,  because  truth,  always  consistent  with  itself,  was  their 
guide. 

BATTLE-FIELD  OF  SAUL  AND  THE  PHILISTINES. 

My  pilgrimage  brought  me,  in  the  forenoon  of  May  first, 
to  Jenin,  on  the  southern  border  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon. 
This  village,  having  a  population  of  some  two  thousand,  may 
be  the  modern  representative  of  En-Ganim,  which  existed 
at  the  time  of  the  Hebrew  conquest,  (Joshua  19,  21 ;  21, 
29.)  It  is  certainly  the  Ginoca  of  Josephus,  who  mentions 
it  as  one  of  the  boundaries  between  Samaria  and  Galilee. 
Here  wre  halted  about  two  hours,  under  the  shade  of  a  wide- 
spreading  mulberry-tree,  by  the  side  of  a  beautiful  stream 
which  flows  westward  through  the  plain,  and  swells  the 
waters  of  the  Kishon,  near  the  sea.  At  noon,  just  as  the 
muezzin,  or  crier,  was  heard  from  the  balcony  of  the  minaret, 
calling  the  faithful  to  prayers,  we  resumed  our  march,  and 
launched  forth  upon  the  magnificent  plain  of  Esdraelon  or 
JezreelA  This  plain  stretches  (leaving  out  of  view  some 
minor  irregularities)  from  the  Mediterranean,  between  Akka 

*  Jezreel  is  tlie  Hebrew,  Esdraelon  the  Greek,  form  of  the  name. 


ELEGY  ON  SAUL  AND  JONATHAN. 


179 


on  the  north  and  the  head  of  Carmel  on  the  south,  across  the 
country,  with  an  average  width  of  ten  or  twelve  miles,  to 
the  river  Jordan  on  the  east.  It  forms  a  break  down  between 
the  mountains  of  Lebanon  on  the  north  and  those  of  Samaria 
on  the  south.  It  is,  for  the  most  part,  quite  level,  with  only 
slight  undulations  here  and  there.  Of  its  fertility  I  have 
already  spoken  in  another  place.*  This  plain  has  been  a  bat¬ 
tle-field  of  the  most  sanguinary  dye  from  the  days  of  Barak 
to  Napoleon,  who,  with  a  handful  of  French,  defeated  here  a 
large  Turkish  army.  Dr.  Clark,  the  traveler,  observes  in 
just,  as  well  as  beautiful,  language,  that  “  warriors  out  of 
every  nation  which  is  under  heaven  have  pitched  their  tents 
in  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  have  beheld  the  various  ban¬ 
ners  of  their  nations  wet  with  the  dews  of  Tabor  and  of 
Hermon.”f  An  isolated  ridge  of  rocky  heights  extends  from 
the  direction  of  the  Jordan  into  this  valley  towards  the  west, 
which  is  the  Gilboa  of  Scripture ;  a  name  which  David’s 
touching  elegy  on  Saul  and  Jonathan  will  preserve  forever  in 
the  memory  of  mankind.  The  words  of  the  sad  lament 
linger  still  upon  our  ears. 

“Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa  ! 

Let  there  be  no  dew  nor  rain  upon  you, 

Nor  fields  of  offerings  ; 

For  there  was  cast  away  the  shield  of  the  mighty, 

The  shield  of  Saul,  as  though  he  had  not  been  anointed. 

*  See  on  the  142d  page, 
t  Travels,  &c.,  Vol.  n.,  p.  499. 


180 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


From  the  blood  of  the  slain,  from  the  flesh  of  the  mighty. 

The  bow  of  Jonathan  turned  not  back, 

The  sword  of  Saul  returned  not  in  vain. 

/ 

“  Saul  and  Jonathan  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives. 

And  in  their  death  they  were  not  divided. 

They  were  swifter  than  eagles, 

They  were  stronger  than  lions. 

•“  Daughters  of  Israel  !  weep  for  them. 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in  the  midst  of  the  battle  ! 

0,  Jonathan  !  slain  upon  thy  mountains 
Woe  is  me  for  thee  —  my  brother  Jonathan  ! 

“  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  ! 

And  the  weapons  of  war  perished  !  ” 

The  account  of  the  battle,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of 
the  Hebrew  king,  not  only  mentions  the  general  scene  of 
the  action,  but  embraces  the  names  of  several  places,  which 

are  introduced  as  sustaining  not  vague,  but  altogether  defi- 

• 

nite,  complicated  relations  to  each  other.  If  these  places, 
now,  can  be  identified  still,  and  if  the  connections  between 
them  implied  in  the  narrative  are  found  to  be  entirely  natu¬ 
ral,  and  appropriate  to  the  events  referred  to  them,  may  wre 
not  reasonably  adduce  this  agreement  as  a  corroboration  of 
the  Scripture  history  ? 

The  following  summary  recapitulates  the  events  as  far  as 
the  present  object  requires.  The  combatants  in  the  battle, 
which  proved  so  disastrous  to  Saul,  lay  encamped,  at  first, 
the  Israelites  on  Gilboa,  the  Philistines  at  Shunem.  They 
appear  subsequently  to  have  changed  their  position  ;  the 


WHAT  THE  NARRATIVE  IMPLIES. 


181 


Israelites  are  said  to  have  pitched  their  tents  at  a  fountain 
near  Jezreel,  and  the  Philistines  at  Aphek.  On  the  night 
before  the  battle  Saul  proceeded  to  Endor  to  consult  a  sor¬ 
ceress  respecting  the  event  of  the  approaching  conflict;  it  is 
implied  that  he  rejoined  his  army  after  an  absence  of  a  few 
hours  only.  The  final  encounter  took  place  on  Gilboa,  and 
the  Philistines,  who  were  the  conquerors,  having  found  the 
dead  body  of  Saul  among  the  slain,  carried  it  to  Bethshean, 
and  hung  it  up  on  the  walls  of  the  city.  All  these  places, 
now,  if  the  narrative  be  true,  must  have  been  near  each 
other ;  must  have  been  so  situated  as  to  admit  of  the  rapid 
movements,  hither  and  thither,  which  the  complications  of  a 
battle  involve,  and  some  of  them,  at  least,  as  we  may  pre¬ 
sume,  afforded  to  the  parties  certain  military  advantages, 
leading  them  to  select  just  these  positions  rather  than 
others.  The  question  arises,  then,  Poes  an  inspection  of  the 
scene  where  the  contest  between  Saul  and  the  Philistines  is 
said  to  have  occurred  verify  these  conditions  ?  Have  the 
names  of  the  places  outlived  the  revolutions  of  so  many 
ages,  and  does  their  present  situation  agree  with  the  circum¬ 
stances  under  which  the  sacred  writer  has  introduced  them  ? 

1  venture  to  affirm  that  a  person  who  compares  the  Bible 
account  of  this  battle  with  the  region  around  Gilboa,  has  the 
same  sort  (if  not  degree)  of  evidence  that  the  account  relates 
what  is  true,  that  a  person  would  have  that  such  battles  as 
those  of  Saratoga,  Yorktown  or  Waterloo,  really  took  place, 
who  should  compare  the  current  histories  of  those-  achieve¬ 
ments  with  the  places  where  they  were  performed.  Gilboa, 

16 


182 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


as  the  name  of  a  hamlet  on  the  ridge  of  mountains  anciently 
known  under  that  appellation,  as  well  as  Jezreel,  Shunera, 
Endor,  Bethshean,  are  all  found  still  bearing  the  same  names.* 
They  lie  almost  within  sight  of  each  other.  A  person  can  start 
from  any  one  of  them  and  make  the  circuit  of  them  all  in  a  few 
hours.  Aphek  is  the  only  one  of  the  cluster  not  yet  identi¬ 
fied.  Jezreel  is  on  the  northern  slope  of  Gilboa,  and  at  the 
distance  of  twenty  minutes  to  the  east  is  a  large  fountain, 
and  a  smaller  one  still  nearer;  just  the  position  which  a 
chieftain  would  select,  both  on  account  of  its  elevation  and 
the  supply  of  water  needed  for  his  troops.  Opposite  to  Jez¬ 
reel,  across  a  narrow  valley,  on  the  side  of  a  parallel  ridge, 
is  Shunem,  where  the  Philistines  could  watch  the  movements 
of  the  enemy  with  great  advantage.  Again,  a  village,  En¬ 
dor,  lies  on  the  northern  side  of  the  same  ridge ;  so  that 
Saul,  leaving  his  camp  at  Jezreel,  could  steal  his  way,  under 
cover  of  the  night,  across  the  intervening  valley,  and  over 
the  moderate  summit  which  he  would  have  to  ascend,  and 
then,  after  his  consultation  with  the  woman  of  Endor,  could 
return  to  his  forces  without  having  been  missed  by  any, 
except  those  in  the  secret.  Finally,  Bethshean,  now  Beisan, 
a  little  to  the  east,  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  visible,  in 
fact,  from  pJezreel,  must  have  been,  judging  from  its  natural 
facilities,  a  strong  place;  and  hence,  the  Philistines,  after 

*  I  make  no  account  here  of  tlie  slightly  different  form  which  the 
Arabic  pronunciation  gives  to  some  of  the  names  ;  because  the  change 
is  so  trifling  as  to  leave  no  doubt  that  they  are  the  places  mentioned 
in  Scripture.  See  the  remarks  on  page  210  sq. 


BATTLE-FIELDS  OF  THE  GREEKS  AND  ROMANS. 


183 


the  battle,  would  naturally  take  possession  of  such  a  town ; 
so  that  we  find  them  entrenched  precisely  where  we  might 
expect,  when  we  read  of  their  mutilating  there  the  body  of 
Saul,  as  a  part  of  their  barbarous  celebration  of  the  victory. 

It  is  well  known  that  some  of  the  most  celebrated  battle¬ 
fields  of  Grecian  and  Roman  history  correspond,  at  present, 
but  imperfectly  with  the  descriptions  of  ancient  writers.  It 
is  found  to  be  impossible,  beyond  a  very  general  outline,  to 
ascertain  the  position,  and  to  trace  the  movements,  of  the 
contending  armies.  The  reason  of  this  is,  not  that  we  have 
any  special  occasion  to  question  the  trustworthiness  of  the 
writers,  but  because,  no  doubt,  villages  which  they  mention 
have  changed  their  names’,  or  have  entirely  disappeared  ;  or 
because,  in  some  instances,  the  convulsions  of  nature  may 
have  altered  the  course  of  streams,  or  disturbed  the  ancient 
demarcations  between  hills  and  valleys.  Yet,  Saul’s  last  bat¬ 
tle-field  remains  to  this  day  mapped  out  before  us  on  the  face 
of  the  country  almost  as  distinctly  as  if  what  was  done  there 
had  been  a  contemporary  event ;  though  the  Bible  relates  it 
of  an  age  even  more  remote  than  that  of  the  founding  of 
Rome,  of  one  later  but  a  little  than  the  siege  of  Troy. 

SITUATION  OF  SAMARIA. 

This  celebrated  capital  of  the  ten  tribes  was  situated  on  a 
hill,  rising  abruptly  from  the  bosom  of  a  beautiful  valley  to 
the  height  of  some  four  hundred  feet,  and  surrounded  by  a 
circle  of  hills  still  higher.  A  small  Arab  village  hangs  on 
the  eastern  brow  of  the  eminence,  called  Sebustieh,  a  cor- 


184 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ruption  of  the  Greek  Sebaste,  the  name  which  Herod  the 
Great  gave  to  Samaria  in  honor  of  Augustus. 

I  spent  several  hours,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  April,  in 
examining  this  interesting  locality,  and  then  crossed  the 
mountains  on  the  north  of  the  valley,  on  my  way  to  Naza¬ 
reth.  I  was  thinking,  as  I  proceeded,  of  a  passage  in  the 
book  of  Amos,  and  was  anxious  to  know  how  strictly  it  was 
to  be  understood.  The  prophet  (Amos  3,  9.  10),  by  a  bold 
poetic  figure,  summons  the  inhabitants  of  Ashdod  and  Egypt 
to  assemble  on  the  hills  around  Samaria,  and  to  see  with 
their  own  eyes  the  iniquity  practised  there.  They  are  called 
upon  as  heathen  to  testify  against  the  wickedness  of  the  pro¬ 
fessed  people  of  God,  and  to  pronounce  them  deserving  of 
the  punishment  which  the  prophet  affirms  that  they  are 
about  to  incur. 

“  Publish  on  the  palaces  *  in  Ashdod, 

And  on  the  palaces  in  the  land  of  Egypt, 

And  say  : 

*  Assemble  on  the  mountains  of  Samaria, 

And  behold  the  great  tumults  in  her  midst. 

And  the  oppressions  in  her  ;’ 

‘  For  they  know  not  how  to  do  right,’ 

Says  Jehovah, 

‘  Who  store  up  violence  and  pillage  in  their  palaces.’  ” 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  heathen  witnesses  in  this  case 
are  supposed  to  take  their  stand  on  the  hills  which  surround 

*  That  is,  on  the  roofs  of  them,  which  atforded  the  herald  a  conven¬ 
ient  place  for  being  heard.  See  on  the  70th  page. 


RUINS  OF  SAMARIA. 


f 


•  •  * 

' 

. 


‘ 

*  1 1 


- 


. 


■ 


■.  , 


' 


« 


* 


. 

. "  ‘ 


* 


HEIGHTS  ABOVE  SAMARIA. 


187 


Samaria,  and  to  be  able  from  that  position  to  look  down 
upon  the  city  as  exposed  to  their  view  below  them.  To  wdiat 
extent,  now,  is  this  representation  figurative  ?  How  far  does 
it  conform  to  the  actual  condition  of  the  country  ? 

In  my  ascent  of  the  mountains  which  I  had  to  cross,  I  cast 
back  an  anxious  eye,  from  time  to  time,  to  see  whether  I  was 
rising  above  the  level  of  the  ancient  Samaria.  It  was  not 
long  before  I  found  myself  off  against  the  summit ;  and  then 
after  this,  as  other  heights  still  followed,  I  soon  had  the 
pleasure  of  beholding  the  site  of  the  once  flourishing  town 
lying  below  me  ;  of  feeling  that  I  stood  where  I  could  fairly 
overlook,  not  only  the  valley,  but  the  mount,  which  imparts 
to  it  so  much  beauty.  I  am  sure  that,  had  the  ancient  capi¬ 
tal  still  crowned  its  summit,  I  could  have  looked  into  it,  and 
seen  the  people  in  the  streets,  and  distinguished  their  occu¬ 
pations. 

DISCOVERY  AT  NINEVEII. 

We  have  a  definite  account  of  the  origin  of  Samaria  in 
the  Old  Testament.  In  the  thirty-first  year  of  Asa,  king 
of  Judah,  “began  Omri  to  reign  over  Israel ;  and  he  bought 
the  hill  of  Shemer,  and  built  a  city  on  the  hill,  which  he 
called  Samaria,  after  the  name  of  Shemer,  the  owner  of 
the  hill,”  (1  Kings  16,  23.  24.)  Mr.  Layard,  in  his  recent 
work  on  Nineveh,*  mentions  a  fact  respecting  Samaria,  won¬ 
derfully  corroborative  of  sacred  history.  Among  the  inscrip¬ 
tions  on  a  tablet  dug  out  of  the  ruins,  he  finds  the  city 
named  as  Beth  Khumri,  or  Omri.  As  Samaria  was  built  by 

*  Discoveries  in  tlie  Ruins  of  Nineveh  and  Babylon,  p.  613. 

16* 


188 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Omri,  it  was  entirely  natural,  and  in  accordance  with  an 
eastern  custom,  that  it  should  be  called  after  its  founder, 
Beth  Khumri,  or  the  house  of  Omri.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  the  Assyrians,  whose  capital  was  Nineveh,  destroyed 
Samaria,  after  a  siege  of  three  years,  and  carried  the  inhab¬ 
itants  into  captivity,  (2  Kings  17,  5.)  On  the  same  monu¬ 
ment  Mr.  Layard  found  the  name  of  Hazael,  whom  Elijah 
was  directed  to  anoint  king  of  Syria. 

PROPHECY  FULFILLED. 

The  subject  will  justify  our  turning  aside  to  notice  the 
striking  manner  in  which  the  fate  of  Samaria  has  fulfilled 
the  truth  of  prophecy.  Micah  (1,  6)  foretold  the  doom  of 
that  city  thus : 

“  I  will  make  Samaria  as  a  stone-heap  in  the  field  ; 

As  places  for  the  planting  of  vineyards  ; 

And  I  will  pour  into  the  valley  her  stones, 

And  her  foundations  will  I  make  bare.” 

A  few  miserable  huts  constitute  the  modern  Sebustieh,  on 
one  side  of  the  hill.  A  church  of  the  crusaders,  now  crum¬ 
bling  into  ruins,  stands  over  the  reputed  grave  of  John  the 
Baptist.  Of  the  splendid  edifices  with  which  Herod  the 
Great  adorned  his  favorite  city,  three  or  four  clusters  of 
columns,  many  of  them  broken,  or  half  buried  in  the  earth, 
are  all  that  remains.  The  rest  of  the  hill  has  been  ploughed 
for  centuries.  Here  and  there  may  be  seen  a  cleared  spot, 
used  as  a  threshing-floor.  The  upper  part  of  the  hill  termi¬ 
nates  with  a  succession  of  terraces,  which  I  found  to  be  cov- 


PROPHETIC  LANGUAGE. 


189 


ered  with,  grain  and  fruit-trees.  It  has  thus  become  “  like  a 
place  for  the  planting  of  vineyards.”  In  clearing  the  ground 
for  cultivation,  the  stones,  so  abundant  there  from  the  destruc¬ 
tion  or  decay  of  ancient  buildings,  have  been  picked  out  and 
thrown  into  heaps.  How  exactly  does  the  language  which 
foretold  this  desolation  describe  it !  The  city  “  shall  be 
like  a  stone-heap  in  the  field !  ”  Nor  does  the  parallel 
between  the  prediction  and  the  fulfilment  end  here.  Stones, 
which  belonged  to  the  walls  or  houses,  have  rolled  down  the 

sides  of  the  hill,  or  have  been  thrown  over  the  brow  of  it, 

9 

4 

and  lie  scattered  along  the  edge  of  the  valley. 

“  I  will  pour  into  the  valley  her  stones, 

And  her  foundations  I  will  make  bare.” 

We  are  not  to  regard  such  particularity  as  essential,  by 
any  means,  to  the  truth  of  prophecy ;  for  minute  descriptions 
are  often  employed  in  the  Bible,  which  are  designed  to  con¬ 
vey  only  general  ideas.  It  is  one  of  the  laws  of  prophetic 
language  that  it  makes  use  of  specific  traits  or  incidents  as 
a  means  of  impressing  the  mind  more  strongly.  Yet,  the 
foregoing  instance  exemplifies  a  class  of  predictions  which, 
in  the  mode  of  their  fulfilment,  go  entirely  beyond  the  sub¬ 
stance  of  the  prophet’s  meaning,  which  accomplish  remark¬ 
ably  the  form,  as  well  as  the  reality,  of  the  events  foretold. 

COUNTRY  OF  TIIE  GADARENES. 

I  spent  a  night  and  a  part  of  two  days  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  Lake  of  Tiberias.  My  tent  was  pitched  near  the  Hot 


190 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Baths,  about  a  mile  south  of  the  town  of  Tiberias,  and,  con¬ 
sequently,  near  the  south  end  of  the  lake.  In  looking  across 
the  water  to  the  other  side,  I  had  before  me  the  country  of 
the  Gadarenes,  where  the  swine,  impelled  by  an  evil  spirit, 
plunged  into  the  sea.  I  was  struck  with  a  mark  of  accu¬ 
racy  in  the  sacred  writers  which  had  never  occurred  to  me 
till  then.  They  state  that  “  the  swine  ran  violently  down 
the  steep  place  or  precipice  ”  (the  article  being  required  by 
the  Greek),  “  and  were  choked  in  the  sea.”  It  is  implied 
here,  first,  that  the  hills  in  that  region  approach  near  the 
water ;  and,  secondly,  that  they  fall  off  so  abruptly  along  the 
shore  that  it  would  be  natural  for  a  writer,  familiar  with 
that  fact,  to  refer  to  it  as  well  known.  Both  these  implica¬ 
tions  are  correct.  A  mass  of  rocky  hills  overlook  the  sea 
on  that  side,  so  near  the  water  that  one  sees  their  dark  out¬ 
line  reflected  from  its  surface,  while  their  sides  are,  in  gen¬ 
eral,  so  steep  that  a  person  familiar  with  the  scenery  would 
hardly  think  of  speaking  of  a  steep  place  or  precipice,  where 
so  much  of  the  coast  forms  but  one  continuous  precipice. 
Our  translators  omit  the  definite  article,  and  show,  by  this 
inadvertence,  how  naturally  the  more  exact  knowledge  of  the 
Evangelists  influenced  their  lammage. 

o  o  o 

fK  % > 

ADVANCE  OF  THE  ASSYRIANS. 

During  my  sojourn  of  a  month  at  Jerusalem  I  made  sev¬ 
eral  excursions  into  the  neighboring  country.  One  of  these 
embraced  a  visit  to  Anata,  Beit  Hanina,  Neby  Samuil,  and 
other  places.  Leaving  the  Damascus  gate  about  noon,  we 


POFJTRY  OF  ISAIAH. 


191 


crossed  the  upper  part  of  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat,  and, 
pursuing  a  north-eastern  course,  with  the  Mount  of  Olives 
off  to  the  right,  arrived,  after  an  hour  and  a  half,  at  Anata, 
the  birthplace  of  Jeremiah.*  This  village  stands  on  a  height 
which  presents  to  the  observer  a  wide  prospect  towards  the 
north  and  north-east ;  and  among  the  towns  within  sight 
were  Jeba,  and  Er-Ram,  names  which  identify  them  unques¬ 
tionably  with  Gribeah  and  Hamah ;  while,  a  lit  tle  further  off, 
but  not  visible  here,  was  Mukhinas,  which  must  be  the  same 
as  Michmash.  Thus,  four  of  the  places  which  Isaiah  men¬ 
tions  (10,  28,  sq.),  in  his  description  of  the  approach  of  the 
Assyrian  army,  are  found  near  each  other,  and  north  of 
Jerusalem;  occupying  precisely  the  situation  which  the  poet’s 
object  in  referring  to  them  requires.  He  sees  the  enemy 
pouring  down  from  the  north  ;  they  reach,  at  length,  the 
neighborhood  of  the  devoted  city ;  they  take  possession  of 
one  village  after  another ;  while  the  inhabitants  flee  at  their 
approach,  and  fill  the  country  with  cries  of  terror  and  dis¬ 
tress.  A  more  spirited  sketch  of  a  hostile  invasion  is  not  to 
be  found  in  any  writer.  It  must  be  read  in  the  Hebrew  in 
order  to  be  fully  appreciated. 

*•  He  comes  to  Ai,  passes  through  Migron, 

At  Michmash  deposits  his  baggage  ; 

They  cross  the  pass,  Geba  is  our  night-station  ; 

Terrified  is  Hamah,  Gibeah  of  Saul  flees. 

Shriek  with  thy  voice,  daughter  of  Gallim  ; 

Listen,  0  Laish  ;  ah,  poor  Anathoth  ! 

*  Sec  the  notice  of  this  place  on  the  75th  page. 


192 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Madmenah  escapes,  dwellers  in  Gebim  take  flight.* 

Yet  this  day  he  halts  at  Nob  : 

He  shakes  his  fist  against  the  mount,  daughter  of  Zion, 

The  hill  of  Jerusalem.” 

The  pass  or  passage  here,  called  ‘the  passage  of  Mich- 
mash  ’  in  1  Samuel  13,  23,  is,  probably,”  says  Dr.  Robinson, 
“  a  steep,  precipitous  valley,”  which  he  crossed  just  before 
coming:  to  the  modern  Mukhmas.  Nob,  a  name  which  has 
perished,  appears  to  have  been  the  last  station  in  their  line 
of  march,  whence  they  could  see  Jerusalem,  and  whence  they 
could  be  seen,  as  they  “  shook  the  fist  ”  in  proud  derision  of 
their  enemies. f  Standing  there,  in  the  presence  of  so  many 
of  the  places  which  Isaiah  has  mentioned,  it  required  but 
little  aid  of  the  imagination  to  seem  to  see  the  moving  forms 
of  warriors,  as  they  spread  themselves  over  hill  and  valley, 
and  to  hear  their  shouts  of  defiance,  as  they  came  on,  impa¬ 
tient  to  begin  and  end  the  strife  which,  as  they  imagined, 
was  to  crown  their  enterprise  with  the  possession  of  the  holy 
city. 

THE  SCENERY  OF  SIIECHEM. 

The  great  northern  road  from  Jerusalem  to  Samaria  and 
Galilee,  which  the  Saviour  sometimes  followed,  in  his  journeys 
from  one  province  to  another,  led  along  the  water-shed  of  the 
hills  which  fill  up  the  country  between  the  Mediterranean  on 

*  The  full  idea,  says  Gesenius,  is,  that  they  hurry  off  to  concea 
their  treasures. 

t  Nob  was,  not  improbably,  on  the  northern  ridge  of  Olivet,  whence 
the  invaders  would  obtain  their  first  sight  of  Jerusalem. 


PLAIN  OF  MUKIINA. 


193 


the  west,  and  the  valley  of  the  Jordan  on  the  east.  A  few 
hours  north  of  Bethel,  which  lay  on  this  route  (see  Judges 
1,  22),  a  valley  suddenly  opens  upon  the  traveler  among  the 
hills,  which,  though  not  so  extensive  as  Esdraelon  or  Sharon, 
is  yet  unsurpassed,  in  point  of  beauty  and  fertility,  by  any 
other  region  in  the  holy  land.  It  is  now  called  the  plain  of 
Mukhna;  it  runs  very  nearly  north  and  southland  may  be, 
on  the  average,  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  length,  and  a  mile  and 
a  half  in  breadth.  Few  places  offer  so  many  points  of 
Biblical  interest  as  this.  Towards  the  upper  part  of  the 
plain  the  mountains  which  skirt  its  western  side  fall  apart, 
leaving  a  somewhat  narrow  defile  between  them,  where  stands 
Nablus,  the  ancient  Skechem  or  Sychar.  A  more  lovely 
spot  than  that  which  greets  the  eye  here  it  w'ould  be  difficult 
to  find  in  any  land.  Streams,  which  gush  from  perennial 
fountains,  impart  a  bright  and  constant  freshness  to  the  vege¬ 
tation.  Fruit-trees  of  every  kind  known  to  the  climate 
flourish  here  abundantly.  The  deep  verdure  which  clothes 
the  gardens  and  orchards  produces  the  more  pleasing  effect 
because  it  has  its  foil,  so  to  speak,  in  the  sterile  aspect  of  the 
adjacent  mountains.  It  is  no  wonder  that  the  patriarchs 
were  fond  of  pitching  their  tents  here,  and  pasturing  their 
flocks  on  the  neighboring  plain.  Abraham,  on  his  first 
arrival  in  the  land  of  Canaan,  “  came  unto  the  place  of 
Shechem,  unto  the  oaks  of  Moreh  ”  (as  the  Hebrew  should  be 
rendered),  so  called  after  the  name  of  the  native  sheikh  or 
chieftain  to  whom  they  belonged,  (Genesis  12,  G.)  Jacob, 
on  his  return  from  Mesopotamia,  dwelt  for  a  time  near  She- 


194 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


chem,  and  purchased  a  portion  of  land  of  the  prince  of  the 
country,  (Genesis  33,  18,  sq.)  This  statement  is  wonder¬ 
fully  confirmed  by  local  evidence.  It  is  said  that  Jacob,  on 
that  occasion,  “  came  to  Shalim,  a  city  of  Shechem,  and 
pitched  his  tent  before  the  city ;  ”  that  is,  according  to  a 
familiar  Hebraism,  to  the  east  of  it.  A  village  called  Sa¬ 
lim  is  found  still  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  plain,  lying 
eastward,  therefore,  from  Nablus,  and  having  a  just  claim  to 
be  regarded  as  the  ancient  Shalim.  To  this  place,  at  a  sub¬ 
sequent  period,  Jacob  sent  Joseph  from  Hebron,  to  inquire 
respecting  the  welfare  of  his  brethren  ;  for  they  “  had  gone 
to  feed  their  father’s  flock  in  Shechem,”  (Genesis  37, 12.  14.) 
Not  finding  them  here,  it  is  said  that  he  followed  them  to 
Dothan,  whither  they  had  gone  to  pasture  their  flocks,  and 
where  he  was  afterwards  sold  to  the  Midianit.es,  as  they 
passed  that  way  from  Gilead,  beyond  the  Jordan,  into 
Egypt.  A  Dothan,  undoubtedly  the  same  place,  is  still 
found  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hours  from  Shechem.  It  lies 
not  only  in  a  rich  plain,  such  as  the  sons  of  Jacob  would 
naturally  select,  but  on  the  road  which  leads  at  present  from 
Beisan,  one  of  the  fords  of  the  Jordan,  to  the  plain  of 
Sharon,  and  thence  to  Egypt.* 

THE  TOMB  OF  JOSEPH. 

The  “parcel  of  ground  which  Jacob  bought  of  Hamor” 
(Joshua  24,  32),  and  “  gave  to  his  son  Joseph”  (John  4,  5), 

*  See  Asher’s  Itinerary  of  Benjamin  of  Tudela,  Yol.  H.,  p.  434  ;  and 
Bibliotheca  Sacra  (1853),  p.  122. 


JOSEPH’S  TOMB 


Joseph’s  grave. 


197 


must  have  been  in  this  vicinity.  A  freehold  on  the  rich 
plain  of  Mukhna  would  have  been  a.  patrimony  worthy  of 
such  a  father  to  a  favorite  son.  “  The  bones  of  Joseph  were 
brought  up  out  of  Egypt,”  at  the  time  of  the  exodus,  and 
buried  in  this  field  at  Shechem,  (Joshua  27,  32.)  The  tomb 
which  distinguishes  the  traditionary  grave  of  Joseph  is  still 
shown  at  the  entrance  of  the  valley  of  Nablus,  a  little  to 
the  right  of  the  traveler’s  ordinary  path.  The  present  monu* 
ment  is  built  in  the  ordinary  style  of  an  eastern  Welee,  and 
is  a  place  of  resort,  not  only  to  Jews  and  Christians,  but 
Mohammedans  and  Samaritans ;  all  of  whom  concur  in  the 
belief  that  it  stands  on  the  veritable  spot  where  the  patriarch 
was  buried.  I  found  the  walls  of  the  interior  covered  with 
the  names  of  pilgrims,  representing  almost  every  land  and 
language ;  though  the  Hebrew  character  was  the  most  promi¬ 
nent  one.  It  is  not  known  that  the  ground  under  the  tomb 
has  ever  been  excavated.  It  is  a  reasonable  supposition  that 
there,  or  not  far  off,  beneath  the  surface  of  that  plain,  the 
sarcophagus  in  which  Joseph’s  body  was  put,  after  being  em¬ 
balmed  in  Egypt  (Genesis  50,  26),  and  which  was  brought 
hither  by  the  Israelites,  may  be  concealed  at  the  present  time. 
The  monument  stands  nearer  the  base  of  Ebal  than  of  Geri- 
ziin,  and,  being  surrounded  by  high  trees,  has  an  air  of  seclu¬ 
sion  and  repose  well  suited  to  the  natural  associations  of  the 
place. 

GERIZIM  AND  EBAL. 

A  mountain,  the  ancient  Gerizim,  springing  up  to  the 
height  of  about  eight  hundred  feet,  guards  the  entrance  of 

17 


198 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  valley  on  the  left  hand,  and  another,  which  is  Ebal, 
nearly  as  high,  stands  on  the  right.  It  was  on  these  heights 
that  Joshua,  in  obedience  to  the  command  of  Moses,  assem¬ 
bled  the  tribes,  soon  after  their  arrival'  in  the  promised  land, 
to  utter  responsively  the  blessings  and  curses  of  the  law. 
See  Deuteronomy  27,  11,  and  Joshua  8,  33.  34.  The  hills 
are  at  such  a  distance  from  each  other  that  it  has  been 
judged  that  the  voices  of  the  speakers,  in  a  clear  day,  might 
have  been  heard  distinctly  from  one  summit  to  the  other.  It 
was  from  the  top  of  Gerizim,  in  the  rear  of  the  town,  where 
it  is  not  so  high  as  nearer  to  the  plain,  that  Jotham  deliv¬ 
ered  his  fable  of  the  trees  to  the  men  of  Shechem,  to 
reprove  them  for  their  folly  in  making  Abimelech  king, 
(Judges  9,  1,  sq.)  The  language  of  the  account  deserves 
notice.  He  “lifted  up  his  voice,”  it  is  said,  “and  cried” 
unto  the  men  of  Shechem.  With  such  an  exertion  of  the 
voice  he  could  easily  have  been  heard  by  the  people  of  the 
city ;  for  the  hill  so  overhangs  the  valley  that  a  person  from 
the  side  or  summit  would  have  no  difficulty  in  speaking  to 
listeners  at  the  base.  This  fact  refutes  the  objection  that 
the  statement  in  the  book  of  Judges  involves  a  physical 
impossibility.  Later  history  mentions  a  case  in  which  sol¬ 
diers  on  the  hill  shouted  to  the  people  in  the  city,  and 
endeavored  to  instigate  them  to  an  insurrection.  There  is 
something  about  the  elastic  atmosphere  of  an  eastern  clime 
which  causes  it  to  transmit  sound  with  wonderful  celerity 
and  distinctness.  Gerizim  was  the  holy  mount  of  the  Sa¬ 
maritans  (John  4,  20),  where  they  built  a  temple,  which  they 


IMPRESSION  OF  TIIE  SCENE. 


199 


regarded  as  the  true  place  of  worship,  in  opposition  to  the 
temple  at  J erusalem. 

Jacob’s  well. 

But  that  which  gives  to  this  locality  its  most  sacred  in¬ 
terest  is  the  continued  existence  here  of  the  well  where  our 
Saviour  held  his  memorable  conversation  with  the  woman  of 
Samaria.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  of  the  identification  of 

this  well ;  the  various  local  proofs  which  point  to  that  spot, 

*  # 

and  the  uniformity  of  the  tradition,  furnish  an  amount  of 
testimony  respecting  the  question  too  strong  to  be  set  aside. 
The  Saviour  was  journeying,  at  the  time,  from  J udea  to 
Galilee  (John  4,  4,  sq.),  and,  as  he  passed  through  Samaria, 
would  cross,  naturally,  the  plain  of  Mukhna.  It  was  noon¬ 
day,  “  the  sixth  hour,”  and,  being  wearied  and  thirsty,  he  sat 
down  at  the  mouth  of  the  well.  There,  too,  I  sat  down,  and 
taking  the  record  of  the  “  gracious  words  which  proceeded 
from  his  lips  ”  on  that  occasion,  I  read  it,  amid  the  sur¬ 
rounding  objects,  not  only  with  new  interest,  but  with  a  per¬ 
ception  of  the  points  of  connection  between  the  narrative 
and  the  outward  scene,  which  left  on  my  mind  no  doubt 
that  it  was  the  place  where  Jesus  conversed  with  the  Samari¬ 
tan  woman.  The  well  is  near  the  western  edge  of  the  plain, 
just  in  front  of  the  opening  between  the  hills  where  Nablus, 
the  site  of  Shechem,  is  situated.  Before  me,  therefore,  as  I 
sat  there,  was  the  town  from  which  the  people  came  forth,  on 
the  report  of  the  woman,  to  see  and  hear  the  prophet  for 
themselves.  Behind  me  were  the  fields,  then  waving  with 
grain,  but  at  the  earlier  season  of  the  year  when  Christ  was 


200 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


there,  recently  ploughed  and  sowed,  which  rendered  his  illus¬ 
tration  so  natural  :  “  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  look  on  the 
fields  ”  (referring  to  the  people),  “  for  they  are  ripe  already 
to  harvest.”  My  curiosity  to  taste  the  wmter  I  could  not 
gratify,  on  account  of  the  old  difficulty ;  “  the  well  is  still 
deep,  and  there  is  nothing  to  draw  with.”  I  threw  a  stone 
into  the  mouth  of  it,  and  could  hear  it  rumbling  away  in  the 
distance,  as  it  bounded  from  side  to  side,  until  it  sank,  at 
last,  in  the  water  at  the  bottom.  It  has  been  ascertained  to 
be  at  least  seventy-five  feet  deep,  bored  through  the  solid 
rock.  “  In  this  mountain  our  fathers  worshipped,”  said  the 
woman,  and  the  Jews  say  “that  in  Jerusalem  is  the  place 
where  men  ought  to  worship.”  How  abrupt,  how  vague,  is 
this  reference  to  a  mountain,  as  it  stands  in  the  report  of  the 
conversation !  But  it  all  becomes  definite,  intelligible,  as  we 
read  the  history  on  the  spot.  There  is  Gerizim  just  at  hand, 
at  which  the  woman  pointed  at  the  moment,  or  glanced  with 
the  eye,  as  she  uttered  these  words.  In  short,  J ohn’s  narra¬ 
tive  of  the  occurrence  at  the  well  forms  a  picture,  for  which 
one  sees  that  the  perfect  framework  is  provided,  as  he  looks 
around  him,  in  front  of  the  hills  which  enclose  the  modern 
Nablus. 

A  church  stood,  anciently,  over  this  spot  so  hallowed  once 
by  the  presence  of  the  Saviour.  The  common  tradition  sup¬ 
poses  it  to  have  been  built  by  Helena,  the  mother  of  Con¬ 
stantine.  It  was  erected,  certainly,  at  an  early  period ;  for 
Jerome,  near  the  close  of  the  fourth  century,  in  his  sketch 
of  Paula’s  pilgrimage,  says  that  she  came  to  Shcchem,  and 


WELLS  NEARER  SYCIIAR. 


201 


entered  the  church  that  stood  over  Jacob’s  well.  The  ground 
there  is  slightly  elevated,  like  a  platform,  showing  the  space 
which  the  edifice  occupied,  and  building  stones  lie  scattered 
around,  formerly  wrought,  no  doubt,  into  its  walls  or  founda¬ 
tions.  The  original  mouth  of  the  well  is  no  longer  visible  on 
the  outside  ;  a  vaulted  roof  having  been  built  over  it,  through 
which  it  is  necessary  to  descend,  in  order  to  reach  the  proper 
entrance  of  the  excavation.  The  aperture  is  barely  large 
enough  to  allow  a  person  to  crowd  his  body  through  it.  The 
neighboring  Arabs,  ever  on  the  watch  to  observe  the  approach 
of  strangers,  take  care  to  keep  a  heavy  stone  over  the 
opening,  so  as  to  obtain  a  reward  for  assisting  to  roll  away 
the  barricade. 

AN  OBJECTION  NOTICED. 

The  interest  which  every  one  must  feel  in  identifying  this 
well  requires  that  a  word  should  be  said  respecting  an  objec¬ 
tion  which  some  have  urged  against  the  traditionary  opinion. 
The  objection  is  that  the  true  well  must  have  been  nearer  to 
Syohar  than  the  one  pointed  out  as  such,  because  fountains 
must  have  existed  then,  as  now,  close  to  the  city,  where  the 
woman  could  have  obtained  water  with  ynuch  less  difficulty. 
It  deserves  notice  here  (which  those  who  allege  this  circum¬ 
stance  against  the  common  view  have  generally  overlooked), 
that  the  difficulty,  if  such  it  be,  affects,  really,  not  so  much  the 
identity  of  the  place  as  the  consistency  of  the  sacred  writer ; 
for,  whatever  may  have  been  the  motive  for  the  act,  it  is 
expressly  stated  that  the  woman  did  repair  to  a  well  for  water 
where  she  knew  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  obtain  it  (John 

17* 


202 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


4,  11),  and  that,  too,  when  other  wells,  of  easier  access,  must 
have  been  at  hand.  The  following  suggestions  have  been 
made  with  reference  to  the  objection  mentioned  above;  they 
seem  to  me  to  do  away  entirely  its  force.  First,  though  the 
record  may  imply  that  the  woman  was  well  known  in  Sy- 
char,  it  does  not  say  that  she  resided  there ;  she  may  have 
lived  where  she  was  nearer  to  Jacob’s  well  than  to  any  of 
the  other  wells  of  the  city.  Secondly,  the  fact  that  it  was 
Jacob’s  well  may  have  given  a  value  to  the  water,  in  the 
eyes  of  the  Samaritans,  which  made  them  anxious  to  obtain 
it  occasionally,  though  at  the  cost  of  some  considerable 
trouble.  Thirdly,  the  depth  of  the  well  may  have  rendered 
the  water  cooler  than  that  of  fountains  nearer  to  the  surface; 
and,  finally,  Sychar  probably  extended  further  east  towards 
the  plain  than  the  modern  town,  so  that  the  greater  distance 
was  trifling  when  the  object  was  to  obtain  water  so  much 
valued. 

It  has  been  deemed  surprising  that  any  one  should  ever 
have  thought  of  boring  a  well  to  such  a  depth,  through  the 
solid  rock,  when  there  are  so  many  natural  fountains  in  the 
neighborhood,  which  furnish  an  easy  and  abundant  supply  of 
water.  Dr.  Robinson  urges  this  fact  very  properly,  as 
showing  that  it  must  be  Jacob’s  well,  and,  consequently,  the 
one  at  which  John  places  the  interview  between  Christ  and 
the  Samaritan  woman.  “  I  can  solve  this  difficulty,”  he 
says,  “  only  by  admitting  that  this  is  probably  the  actual 
well  of  the  patriarch  ;  and  that  it  was  dug  by  him  in  some 
connection  with  the  possession  of  a  ‘parcel  of  ground’ 


MEASURING  THE  WELL. 


203 


bought  of  Hamor,  the  father  of  Shechem ;  which  he  gave  to 
his  son  Joseph,  and  in  which  Joseph,  and,  probably,  his 
brethren,  were  buried.  The  practice  of  the  patriarchs  to  dig 
wells  is  well  known  (Genesis  21,  25,  30;  26,  15.  18 — 32); 
and  if  Jacob’s  field,  as  it  would  seem,  was  here,  before  the 
mouth  of  the  valley  of  Shechem,  he  might  prefer  not  to  be 
dependent  for  water  on  fountains  which  lay  up  that  valley, 
and  were  not  his  own.”  * 

THE  LOST  BIBLE. 

Mr.  Bonar,  who,  with  his  Scotch  friends,  visited  the  well 
in  1839,  in  descending  to  the  mouth  of  it,  had  the  misfor¬ 
tune  to  lose  his  Bible,  which  fell  from  his  breast-pocket,  and 
was  soon  heard  plunging  into  the  water  at  the  bottom.  The 
guide  declared  that  it  was  impossible  to  recover  it,  and  it 
was  given  up  as  lost.!  Dr.  Wilson,  when  he  was  there, 
about  three  years  afterwards,  resolved  that  he  would  put 
that  declaration  to  the  test,  and,  at  the  same  time,  endeavor 
to  ascertain  the  exact  depth  of  the  well.  By  promising  a 
liberal  reward,  he  induced  a  Jew,  named  Jacob,  to  go  down 
and  search  for  the  lost  treasure.  He  has  given  a  graphic 
sketch  of  the  proceeding.  “Jacob  was  ready  at  our  com¬ 
mand,  and,  when  he  had  tied  the  rope  round  his  body,  below 
his  shoulders,  he  received  our  parting  instructions.  We 
asked  him  to  call  out  to  us  the  moment  that  he  might  arrive 
at  the  surface  of  the  water ;  we  told  him,  also,  to  pull  out 

*  See  Biblical  Researches,  Yol.  hi.,  p.  112. 

+  Narrative  of  a  Mission  to  the  Jews  (Edinburgh,  1852),  p.  212. 


204 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


one  of  the  candles  with  which  he  had  stored  his  breast,  and 
to  ignite  it  when  he  might  get  below.  As  he  looked  into  the 
fearful  pit,  on  the  brink  of  which  he  stood,  terror  took  hold 
of  him,  and  he  betook  himself  to  prayer  in  the  Hebrew 
tongue.  On  a  given  signal  we  let  him  go.  The  Arabs  held 
with  us  the  rope,  and  we  took  care  that  he  should  descend  as 
gently  as  possible.  When  our  material  was  nearly  exhausted 
he  called  out,  ‘  I  have  reached  the  bottom ;  and  it  is  at 
present  scarcely  covered  with  water.’  Forthwith  he  kindled 
a  light,  and,  that  he  might  have  every  advantage,  we  threw 
him  down  a  quantity  of  dry  sticks,  with  which  he  made  a 
blaze,  which  distinctly  showed  us  the  whole  of  the  well,  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom.  We  saw  the  end  of  the  rope  at  its 
lower  part ;  and  we  put  a  knot  upon  it  at  the  margin  above, 
that  we  might  have  the  exact  measurement  when  Jacob 
might  come  un.  After  searching  for  about  five  minutes  for 
the  Bible,  among  the  stones  and  mud  at  the  bottom,  he  joy¬ 
fully  cried  out,  ‘  It  is  found  !  it  is  found !  ’  He  was,  evi¬ 
dently,  much  frightened  at  the  idea  of  reascending  to  the 
light  of  day,  and  expressed  his  fears.  ‘  Never  mind,’  Mor- 
decai,  one  of  his  countrymen,  cried  to  him  from  the  top,  on 
observing  his  alarm:  ‘you  will  get  up  by  the  help  of  the  Glod 
of  Jacob.’  He  betook  himself  again  to  prayer,  more  ear¬ 
nestly  than  before  his  descent.  We  found  it  no  easy  matter 
to  get  him  pulled  up ;  and  when,  at  length,  he  came  into  our 
hands,  he  wras  so  terrified  and  exhausted  that  he  was  unable 
.  to  speak ;  and  we  laid  him  dowm  on  the  margin  of  the  well, 
that  he  might  collect  his  breath.  The  book,  from  having 


DEPRESSION  OF  THE  JORDAN. 


205 


been  so  long  steeped  in  the  water  and  mud,  was,  with  the 
exception  of  the  boards,  reduced  to  a  mass  of  pulp.  In  our 
effort  to  recover  it  we  had  ascertained  the  depth  of  the  well, 
which  is  exactly  seventy-five  feet.  Its  diameter  is  about 
nine  feet.”*  The  depth  has  been  variously  estimated,  but 
this  measurement,  made  with  such  means  for  attaining  accu¬ 
racy,  may  be  regarded  as  putting  the  question  at  rest. 

THE  DESCENT  TO  JERICHO. 

Many  single  expressions  occur  in  the  Bible,  which  reveal 
the  accuracy  of  the  writers  in  speaking  of  places,  and  their 
relative  situation  with  reference  to  each  other.  One  exam¬ 
ple  of  this  I  find  in  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan.  It 
is  said  that  “  a  certain  man  was  going  down  ”  (so  the  tense 
of  the  Greek  verb  should  be  rendered)  “from  Jerusalem  to 
Jericho,  and  fell  among  thieves,  who  stripped  him  of  his  rai¬ 
ment,  and  wounded  him,  and  departed,  leaving  him  half 
dead,”  (Luke  10,  81.)  The  valley  of  the  Jordan,  where 
Jericho  was  situated,  is  about  four  thousand  feet  lower  than 
Jerusalem.  After  crossing  the  dry  bed  of  the  Ivedron,  the 
traveler  passes  over  the  southern  slope  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  and  then  commences  a  descent  which  is  hardly  inter¬ 
rupted  till  he  reaches  the  plain  of  Jericho. 

The  mode  of  describing  the  inverse  journey  from  Jericho 
to  Jerusalem  is  equally  exact.  Having  crossed  the  Jordan 
from  the  eastern  side,  Jesus,  as  we  read  in  Luke  19,  28,  and 
Mark  10,  82,  “  went  before  ”  the  disciples,  “  ascending  up  to 

*  Lands  of  the  Bible,  Vol.  n.,  p.  55,  sq. 


206 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Jerusalem.”  We  have  the  same  phrase  applied  to  the  road 
between  the  two  places  in  Matthew  20,  17,  and  Mark  10,  32. 
So,  also,  in  the  Old  Testament,  we  find  a  like  unstudied 
observance  of  the  same  geographical  relation.  Thus,  the 
Kenites  “  go  up  out  of  the  city  of  palm-trees  (Jericho),  with 
the  children  of  Judah,  into  the  wilderness  of  Judah  ”  (Judges 
1,  16)  ;  Shimei  and  the  Benjamites,  with  the  men  of  Judah, 
came  down  to  meet  David,  who  had  re-crossed  the  Jordan, 

'  after  the  defeat  of  Absalom  (2  Samuel  19,  16,  17)  ;  Bar- 
zillai  refuses  to  go  up  with  the  king  to  Jerusalem  (19,  84) ; 
Naaman  goes  down  from  Elijah  to  the  Jordan  (2  Kings  5, 
14)  ;  which  are  only  some  of  the  passages  that  might  'be 
quoted. 

SCENE  OF  TIIE  PARABLE. 

It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  the  scene  of  the  robbery 
.  which  calls  into  exercise  the  benevolence  of  the  good  Sama¬ 
ritan  is  referred,  very  justly,  to  the  region  between  Jerusa¬ 
lem  and  Jericho.  It  is  famous,  at  the  present  day,  as  the 
haunt  of  thieves  and  robbers.  No  part  of  the  traveler’s 
journey  is  so  dangerous  as  the  expedition  to  Jericho  and  the 
Dead  Sea.  The  oriental  pilgrims  who  repair  to  the  Jordan  - 
have  the  protection  of  an  escort  of  Turkish  soldiers ;  and 
others,  who  would  make  the  same  journey,  must  either  go 
in  company  with  them,  or  provide  for  their  safety  by  pro¬ 
curing  a  special  guard.  Hardly  a  season  passes  in  which 
some  luckless  wayfarer  is  not  killed  or  robbed  in  “  going 
down  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho.”  The  place  derives  its 
hostile  character  from  its  terrible  wildness  and  desolation. 


DESCENDING  TO  CAPERNAUM 


207 


If  we  might  conceive  of  the  ocean  as  being  suddenly  con¬ 
gealed  and  petrified  when  its  waves  are  tossed  mountain- 
high,  and  dashing  in  wild  confusion  against  each  other,  we 
should  then  have  some  idea  of  the  aspect  of  the  desert  in 
which  the  Saviour  has  placed  so  truthfully  the  parable  of  the 
good  Samaritan.  The  ravines,  the  almost  inaccessible  cliffs, 
the  caverns,  furnish  admirable  lurking  places  for  robbers  ; 
they  can  rush  forth  unexpectedly  upon  their  victims,  and 
escape  as  soon  almost  beyond  the  possibility  of  pursuit. 


ROAD  TO  JERICHO. 

HEALING  OF  THE.  NOBLEMAN’S  SON. 

The  account  of  the  healing  of  the  nobleman’s  son  fur¬ 
nishes  another  instance  of  this  exact  phraseology.  The 
Saviour,  when  he  wrought  that  cure,  was  at  Cana,  in  Galilee, 
which  is  among  the  hills,  not  far  from  Nazareth.  He  was 
requested  to  go  to  Capernaum,  which  was  at  the  north-west 


208 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


end  of  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  where  the  nobleman  resided.  I 
passed  over  the  ground  between  the  two  places,  and  found  it 
to  be,  as  would  be  expected  from  the  well-known  depression 
of  the  lake  below  the  general  level  of  the  country,  descend¬ 
ing  at  almost  every  step.  In  accordance  with  this,  entirely, 
we  hear  the  distressed  father  crying  out  abruptly,  “  Gome 
down,  ere  my  child  die,”  (John  4,  49.)  We  read  afterwards 
that,  as  “  he  was  coming  down,”  that  is,  to  Capernaum,  his 
servants  met  him  with  the  information  that  his  son  was 
healed,  (John  4,  51.) 

GIBEAII  OF  SAUL. 

Saul’s  original  home  was  at  Gibeah,  identical  with  Jeba, 
which,  as  I  have  said,  is  visible  on  a  hill  from  Anata.  The 
name  signifies  an  elevated  place.  This  situation  of  Gibeah 
discloses  itself  incidentally  quite  often  in  Saul’s  history. 
Thus,  we  read  that  Saul  goes  up  from  Gilgal  to  his  house  in 
Gibeah  (1  Samuel  15,  34)  ;  the  Ziphites  go  up  to  him  at 
Gibeah,  in  order  to  betray  David  to  him  (23,  19),  and 
request  Saul  to  come  down  to  them  (23,  20),  and  Saul  comes 
down  from  Gibeah  into  the  wilderness  (26,  2).#  Though,  in 
this  last  instance,  the  desert  of  Ziph,  which  was  in  the  hilly 
region  of  Judea,  may  have  been  higher  than  Gibeah,  it  was 
still  necessary  to  descend  in  leaving  the  latter  place,  and 
hence  the  expression  to  that  effect  is  correct  here  also. 

*  An  article  in  the  Studien  und  Kritiken  (1854,  p.  851,  sq.),  has 
suggested  some  of  these  passages,  though  they  are  cited  there  for  a 
different  object. 


INVASIONS  OF  PALESTINE. 


209 


TRANSMISSION  OF  SCRIPTURE  NAMES. 

I  introduce  this  topic  here,  because,  though  it  differs  some¬ 
what  from  the  leading  contents  of  the  chapter,  it  connects 
itself  most  naturally  with  the  topographical  illustrations  of 
the  work,  and  supplies  a  species  of  evidence  too  important  to 
be  omitted. 

The  transmission,  through  so  many  centuries,  of  the  Bibli¬ 
cal  names  of  places  in  the  holy  land,  is  a  standing  monu¬ 
ment  of  the  truth  of  the  Bible.  It  is  hard  to  extirpate  the 
aboriginal  names  of  a  country.  The  race  which  is  spreading 
over  British  India,  at  the  present  day,  when  they  plant  a  new 
town,  now  and  then  give  to  it  a  new  name.  The  old  places, 
on  the  contrary,  retain  their  old  names.  The  Homans,  who 
extended  their  arms  over  Gaul,  Britain,  and  parts  of  Ger¬ 
many,  originated  but  few,  very  few  of  the  names  now  borne 
by  the  cities  and  villages  in  those  countries.  Even  when  the 
earlier  inhabitants  have  disappeared  before  the  new  comers, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Etruscans  in  Italy,  or  the  Indians  in 
some  parts  of  America,  they  have  left  traces  of  their  lan¬ 
guage  behind  them.  Our  own  mountains  and  rivers,  with 
their  Indian  appellations,  are  not  more  enduring  than  the 
proofs  that  an  older  race  inhabited  these  shores  before  our 
forefathers  came  to  them.  If,  then,  the  records  of  the  Old 
Testament  are  true,  the  successive  waves  of  conquest  that 
have  swept  over  Palestine  cannot  have  obliterated  all  the 
marks  of  early  times.  If  the  towns,  mentioned  as  existing 
there  in  the  age  of  Abraham,  Joshua  and  David,  existed 

18 


210 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


really,  it  must  be  possible  to  identify  many  of  them  still.  As, 
on  the  one  hand,  the  impossibility  of  finding  any  trace  of 
them  now  would  discredit  the  sacred  historians,  so,  on  the 
other,  the  discovery  of  the  same  names  applied  to  existing 
localities,  their  preservation,  notwithstanding  so  many  inva¬ 
sions  of  Babylonians,  Egyptians,  Greeks,  Homans,  Persians, 
Saracens,  Crusaders  and  Turks,  who  have  overrun  the  coun¬ 
try  at  different  times,  becomes  a  striking  witness  to  the  truth 
of  the  Scriptures.  I  will  not  undertake  to  state  numerically 
how  large  a  proportion  of  the  towns  mentioned  in  »the  history 
of  Joshua’s  conquest  of  Canaan  occupy  their  ancient  site ; 
but,  considering  the  antiquity  of  the  record,  it  is  surprisingly 
great.  To  these,  of  so  early  a  date,  should  be  added  others, 
first  noticed  in  the  Old  Testament  or  the  New,  at  a  later 
period.  They  bear  the  same  names  as  in  ancient  times, 
slightly  changed,  in  conformity  with  the  Arabic,  the  spoken 
language  of  the  East.  Even  in  cases  where,  during  the 
reigns  of  the  Selcucidoe  and  the  Ptolemies,  some  of  the 
Scripture  places  received  Greek  names,  they  generally  lost 
them,  in  the  course  of  time,  and  regained  their  proper  orien¬ 
tal  appellations.  Hameth  (Joshua  19,  35),  known  in  the  age 
of  the  Greeks  as  Epiphania,  Tadmor  (2  Chronicles  8,  3)  as 
Palmyra,  Babbath  Ammon  (Deuteronomy  3,  11)  as  Phila¬ 
delphia,  are  examples  of  this  tenacity  of  the  East  in  assert¬ 
ing  the  rights  of  its  own  language,  and  rejecting  foreign 
innovations.  Indeed,  these  changes  appear  never  to  have 
been  current  among  the  natives  of  the  country,  and  ceased 
as  soon  as  the  power  which  had  imposed  them  was  broken. 


SPECIFIC  NOTICES. 


211 


In  the  few  instances  in  which  towns  in  Syria  have  Greek 
names  at  the  present  time,  as  Antioch,  Tubariyeh,  and  some 
others,  it  will  be  found,  almost  universally,  that  the  towns 
were  of  Greek  origin,  or  founded  by  those  in  the  Greek  or 
Homan  interest,  and,  consequently,  had  no  previous  names 
of  which  they  could  be  dispossessed.* 

The  chief  requisites  for  establishing  the  identity  of  a  place 
are  that  the  modern  name  be  the  same  as  the  ancient  one, 
or  deducible  from  it,  and  that  the  situation  agree  with  what 
is  said  or  implied  on  that  point  in  the  Scriptures.  The  geo¬ 
graphical  notices  of  the  Bible,  even  in  regard  to  places  very 
ancient  and  comparatively  obscure,  are  sometimes  remarkably 
specific.  Thus,  in  Judges  21,  19,  it  is  said  that  Shiloh, 
where  the  ark  of  the  covenant  was  kept,  in  the  days  of  the 
Judges,  was  “on  the  north  side  of  Bethel,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  highway  that  goeth  up  from  Bethel  to  Shechem  and 
on  the  south  of  Lebonah.”  I  lodged  at  Bethel  on  the  night 
of  the  twenty-eighth  of  April ;  on  the  next  day,  at  the  dis¬ 
tance  of  a  few  hours  north  of  Bethel,  I  turned  aside  to  the 
right  to  visit  Shilun,  or  Shiloh,  and  soon  after  passed,  on  the 
left,  El-Lebbun,  the  Lebonah  of  Scripture,  as  I  pursued  “the 
highway  ”  to  Nablus,  the  ancient  Shechem.  The  identifica¬ 
tion  of  this  last  place  is  made  out  with  entire  certainty  by  a 
process  of  historical  combination,  and  in  a  different  way, 
therefore,  from  that  adopted  in  most  cases,  and  described 
above.  At  Main,  the  Maori  of  Nabal  (1  Samuel  25,  2),  near 

*  Compare  the  remarks  of  Geseuius  appended  to  Burckhardt’s 
Reisen  in  Syrien,  Vol.  i.,  p.  483. 


212 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Hebron,  the  traveler  lias  in  view,  at  once,  at  least  seven,  not 
improbably  nine,  different  places  which  retain  their  ancient 
names,  but  slightly  modified.  Among  these,  besides  Maon, 
are  Semua,  Attir,  Anab,  Schuweikeh,  Yuttah,  which  corre¬ 
spond  respectively  to  Eshtemoa,  Jattir,  Anab,  Socoh,  and 
Juttah,  all  mentioned  in  the  early  book  of  Joshua. 

Besides  the  foregoing  examples,  in  order  to  show  more 
fully  the  nature  and  the  extent  of  the  resemblance  between 
the  ancient  and  modern  names,  I  subjoin  the  following  list, 
placing  those  with  the  modern  or  Arabic  orthography  on  the 
left,  those  with  the  Hebrew  or  Greek  on  the  right. 


Anata, .  .  . 

.  Anathoth. 

Jeba,  . 

Geba. 

Akka,  .  .  . 

.  Acco. 

Jelbon, . 

Gilboa. 

Askulan,  . 

.  Askelon. 

Jebah,  . 

Gibeah. 

Beit  Sar,  . 

.  Beth  Zur. 

Jenin  (probably), 

En-Ganim. 

Beit  Lalim, 

.  Bethlehem. 

Jufna  (probably), 

Ophni. 

Beit  Ur,  .  . 

.  Beth  Iloron. 

Ivana  (unchanged),  Kana. 

Beisan,  .  . 

.  Beth-Shean. 

Khurmul,  .  .  . 

Carmel. 

Bireh,  .  . 

.  Beer,Beeroth. 

Libnan, . 

Lebanon. 

Demaskli,  . 

.  Damascus. 

Ludd, . 

Lydda. 

Deburieli,  . 

.  Daberath. 

Mejdel, . 

Magdela,  Mig- 

Endur,  .  . 

.  Endor. 

dol. 

Esdud,  .  . 

.  Ashdod. 

Mucmas,  .  .  .  . 

Michmash. 

Gazur,  .  . 

.  Gesur. 

Nasirah,  .  .  .  . 

Nazareth. 

Ghuzzeh,  . 

.  Gaza. 

Nein, . 

Nain. 

Gib,  ... 

.  Gibeon. 

Bam, . 

Rameli. 

Hulhul,  .  . 

.  Halhuh 

Bameh, . 

Ramah. 

Hummam,  . 

.  Hammath. 

Riha,* . 

Jericho. 

Jebna,  .  . 

.  Jabneh. 

Saida, . 

Sidon. 

*  Though  these  words  appear  so  unlike  to  the  eye,  the  ear  finds 


NAMES  DISCOVERED. 


213 


Salim, .  . 

....  Salim  or 

lim. 

Sarafend, 

....  Sarepta. 

Selwan,  . 

Sur,  .  . 

....  Tyre. 

Solam,  . 

Tekua,  . 

Tubariyeh  (of  Greek 

origin),  .  .  .  Tiberias. 

Urtas  (probably),  Etam. 

Yafa, . Joppa. 

Yalo, . Ajalon. 

Zerin, . Jezreel.* 


I  mention  the  foregoing  as  examples  only  of  the  similarity 
which  they  illustrate,  and  mention  these  in  preference  to 
others,  that  would  be  equally  pertinent,  because  they  happen 
.to  be  among  the  places  which  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  visit 
or  to  have  a  sight  of.  What  is  worthy  of  special  note  is,  thqt 
many  of  these  names  have  been  brought  to  light  recently^ 
Some  of  them  have  hardly  been  mentioned  in  books  since  they 
were  last  mentioned  in  the  Bible,  till  the  present  century  or  the 
last.  Geographers  and  tourists  have  traversed  the  land,  and, 
as  they  have  asked  the  inhabitants  to  tell  them  the  names  of 


them  quite  the  same  ;  as  Paha  has  a  strong  guttural  pronunciation. 
This  remark  applies  to  some  of  the  other  names. 

*  I  cannot  refrain  from  bearing  testimony  here  to  the  very  great 
value  of  the  “List  of  Arabic  Names  of  Places”  appended  to  the 
third  volume  of  the  “  Biblical  Researches.”  They  were  collected  and 
arranged  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Smith,  of  Beirut,  as  the  fruit  of  inquiries 
made  in  the  course  of  various  journeys  in  all  parts  of  Palestine, 
during  a  period  of  several  years.  The  traveler,  who  would  obtain  a 
knowledge  of  the  ancient  and  modern  topography  of  that  country, 
whatever  other  helps  he  may  forego,  should,  not  omit  to  carry  with 
him  a  copy  of  those  “  lists,”  so  remarkably  full  and  accurate. 

18* 


214 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


their  villages,  have  had  the  old  Scripture  names  given  back 
to  them  from  the  mouths  of  the  people. 

IDENTIFICATION  OF  IIELBON. 

The  discovery  of  this  place  deserves  a  separate  notice,  in 
as  much  as  the  name  has  long  been  applied  to  a  wrong  local¬ 
ity,  and  the  error  has  been  but  recently  corrected.  In  Eze¬ 
kiel  27,  18,  mention  is  made  of  “  the  wine  of  Ilelbon,”  as 
one  of  the  articles  of  traffic  which  the  Tyrians  received  from 
Damascus,  in  exchange  for  their  merchandise.  It  has  been 
commonly  supposed  that  this  Ilelbon  was  identical  with 
Haleb  or  Aleppo,  a  populous  city  in  a  rich  plain,  north-east 
from  Damascus.  While  at  this  latter  place  I  was  informed 
by  Dr.  Poulding,  one  of  the  American  missionaries  there, 
that  a  valley,  called  the  valley  of  Ilelbon,  exists  on  the 
eastern  slope  of  Anti-Lebanon,  north  of  the  Barrack,  which  re¬ 
ceives  its  name  from  Ilelbon,  one  of  its  principal  villages. 
He  has  visited  the  place,  and  states  that  the  grapes  produced 
there  are  remarkable  for  their  fine  quality,  and  that  the  wine 
obtained  from  them  is  regarded  as  the  choice  wine  of  that 
part  of  Syria.  The  wine  of  the  ancient  Helbon  had  a  simi¬ 
lar  reputation ;  and  that  circumstance,  together  with  the 
situation  of  the  place  and  the  coincidence  of  the  name, 
leaves  but  little  doubt  that  the  modern  Helbon  on  Anti- 
Lebanon  is  the  town  or  valley  to  which  the  prophet  referred. 
This  fact  was  mentioned  to  Dr.  Bobinson,  who  visited  Da¬ 
mascus  a  few  weeks  later.  I  see  that  he  has  expressed  the 
opinion  (no  man  living  has  a  better  knowledge  of  the  topog- 


INFIDELITY  REBUKED. 


215 


raphy  of  Palestine)  that  the  conjecture  of  the  missionaries 
as  to  the  identity  of  the  places  is  correct.* 

TESTIMONY  OF  RITTER. 

It  cannot  fail  to  gratify  the  reader  to  know  the  opinion  of 
the  celebrated  Hitter,  the  first  of  living  geographers,  in 
regard  to  the  manner  in  which  the  Bible  has  maintained  its 
character  for  accuracy  under  the  severe  scrutiny  which  it  has 
undergone,  from  the  progress  of  modern  researches  ki  Pales¬ 
tine.  He  has  recently  declared  his  testimony,  on  this  point, 
the  substance  of  which  may  be  comprised  in  the  following 
statement.! 

In  the  book  of  Joshua,  he  says,  which  relates  the  con¬ 
quest  and  distribution  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  the  geographi¬ 
cal  character  is  predominant.  Its  contents,  therefore,  in  this 
respect,  admit  of  being  brought  to  the  test  of  comparison 
with  the  ascertained  condition  of  the  country ;  and  the  result 
is,  that  its  accuracy  has  been  fully  established  in  the  mi¬ 
nutest  details,  even  when  the  examination  has  been  pursued 
into  the  most  unimportant  and  trivial  local  relations.  Its 
notices,  not  only  of  distinct  regions,  but  of  valleys,  fountains, 
mountains,  villages,  have  been  confirmed,  often  with  sur¬ 
prising  certainty  and  particularity.  The  entire  political  and 
religious  life  of  the  Hebrews  was  interwoven  in  the  closest 
manner,  like  a  piece  of  network,  with  the  geography  of  the 

*  Bibliotheca  Sacra,  1853,  p.  143. 

t  In  a  discourse  delivered  at  Berlin,  entitled  Ein  Blick  auf  Paliis- 
tina  und  seine  christliehe  Bevolkerung  (1852). 


216 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


land,  far  more  so  than  is  true  of  the  modern  European 
nations  ;  and  hence  the  opportunity  to  verify  the  alleged  or 
implied  connection  between  places  and  events  is  the  more 
perfect,  and  affords  results  the  more  satisfactory.  Most 
decisive  is  the  rebuke  which  infidelity  has  received  from  this 
new  species  of  testimony ;  it  has  been  compelled  to  confess 
with  shame  that  it  has  imposed  on  itself  and  on  others  by 
the  unfounded  doubts  which  it  has  raised  against  the  truth 
of  the  Scriptures.  The  authenticity  of  the  historical  books 
o'f  the  Old  Testament  has  been  shown  to  be  capable  of  vindi¬ 
cation  on  a  side  hitherto  too  much  overlooked  ;  their  fidelity 
in  all  matters  within  the  sphere  of  geography  places  a  new 
argument  in  the  hands  of  the  defenders  of  Revelation. 

I  pass  over  the  details  of  Ritter’s  illustration ;  he  gives 
one  of  a  very  striking  character,  taken  from  the  account  of 
Joshua’s  second  campaign  in  the  south  of  Palestine,  (Joshua 
11,  16,  scp;  15,  21,  sq.)  He  shows  that  the  division  of  the 
country  there  into  five  parts,  the  scene  of  that  expedition, 
rests  upon  a  basis  in  nature,  upon  a  diversity  of  geographi¬ 
cal  position,  which  none  but  an  eye-witness  could,  have 
remarked,  and  which  modern  travelers  find  to  be  entirely 
characteristic  of  the  region  still.  He  shows,  in  addition  to 
this  general  accuracy  in  the  outline,  that  the  specialities  are 
equally  true ;  that  many  of  the  cities  and  towns  which  are 
mentioned  have  remained  under  their  ancient  names  to  the 
present  day,  and,  also,  occur  together  in  groups,  precisely  in 
the  manner  that  the  sacred  writers  represent  them  as  having 


TESTIMONY  OF  LYNCH. 


217 


been  arranged  of  old.  Of  an  hundred  examples  equally  in 
point,  the  foregoing,  he  says,  is  only  one. 

Worthy  to  be  connected  with  this  testimony  is  the  candid 
avowal  with  which  Lieutenant  Lynch  closes  the  account  of 
his  exploration  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and  the  neighboring  region. 
“We  entered  upon  this  sea,”  he  says,  “with  conflicting  opin¬ 
ions.  One  of  the  party  was  sceptical,  and  another  a  pro¬ 
fessed  unbeliever  of  the  Mosaic  account.  After  twenty-two 
days’  close  investigation,  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  we  are 
unanimous  in  the  conviction  of  the  truth  of  the  Scripture 
account  of  the  destruction  of  the  cities  of  the  plain.  The 
conclusion  we  have  reached,”  he  adds,  “  I  record  with  diffi¬ 
dence,  as  a  protest  againt  the  shallow  deductions  of  those 
who  would  be  unbelievers.”  # 


*  See  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  his  Narrative. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

JEWISH  OPINIONS  AND  USAGES. 

Of  the  Jews  in  Palestine,  their  condition  and  prospects, 
the  traveler  has  an  opportunity  to  learn  but  little,  unless  he 
makes  it  an  object  of  special  endeavor  to  seek  them  out,  and 
enter  into  personal  connection  with  them.  It  would  be  easy 
to  collect  ample  information  on  this  subject  from  the  works 
of  those  who  have  undertaken  missions  of  inquiry  to  the 
Jews  in  that  country.  I  would  name,  in  particular,  the  Nar¬ 
rative  of  Messrs.  Bonar  and  McCheyne,  and  Dr.  Wilson’s 
“  Lands  of  the  Bible,”-  as  among  the  best  sources  of  knowl¬ 
edge  respecting  this  interesting  people,  to  which  the  inquisi¬ 
tive  reader  can  refer.  I  noted  in  my  journal  a  few  points 
only  which  it  would  accord  with  my  design  to  mention  in 
this  work.  The  items  have  a  general  bearing  on  the  illus¬ 
tration  of  the  Scriptures,  though  they  are  not  all  equally 
related  to  that  object. 


TIIE  JEWS  AT  JERUSALEM. 

The  Jewish  population  at  Jerusalem  has  been  variously 
estimated  from  three  to  five  thousand.  Dr.  Shultz,  latePrus- 


JEWISH  PILGRIMS. 


219 


sian  consul  there,  placed  it  as  high  as  seven  thousand.  The 
number  varies,  no  doubt,  from  time  to  time,  since  many  of 
them  are  pilgrims,  who  come  and  go  in  a  very  uncertain 
manner.  Few  of  them,  comparatively,  are  natives  of  the 
country.  The  majority  of  them  are  aged  persons,  who  repair 

to  the  holy  city  to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  days  and 

\ 

secure  the  privilege  of  being  buried  in  the  valley  of  the 
Kedron,  which,  as  their  traditions  assert,  is  to  be  the  scene 
of  the  last  judgment.  At  the  Jews’  Wailing  Place,  I  met, 
one  day,  a  venerable  man,  bowed  with  age,  apparently  beyond 
fourscore,  who  told  me  that,  in  obedience  to  his  sense  of 
duty,  he  had  forsaken  his  children  and  home  in  England,  and 
had  come,  unattended  by  any  friend,  to  die  and  make  his 
grave  at  Jerusalem.  Others  of  them  are  those  who  come 
hither  to  fulfil  a  vow,  or  acquire  the  merit  of  a  pilgrimage, 
and  then  return  to  the  countries  where  they  reside.  Among 
them  may  be  found  representatives  from  almost  every  land, 
though  the  Spanish,  Polish  and  German  Jews  compose  the 
greater  number.  Like  their  brethren  in  other  parts  of  Pal¬ 
estine,  except  a  few  in  some  commercial  places,  they  are 
wretchedly  poor,  and  live  chiefly  on  alms  contributed  by 
their  countrymen  in  Europe  and  America.  They  devote 
most  of  their  time  to  holy  employments,  as  they  are  called ; 
they  frequent  the  synagogues,  roam  over  the  country  to  visit 
places  memorable  in  their  ancient  history,  read  assiduously 
the  Old  Testament  and  the  writings  of  their  liabbies.  Those 
of  them  who  make  any  pretensions  to  learning  understand 
the  Hebrew  and  ltabbinic,  and  speak  as  their  vernacular 


220 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


tongue  the  language  of  the  country  where  they  formerly 
lived,  or  whence  their  fathers  emigrated.  As  would  be 
expected,  from  the  character  of  the  motive  which  brings 
them  to  the  holy  land,  they  are  distinguished,  as  a  class,  for 
their  bigoted  attachment  to  Judaism.  The  Palestine  Jews 
may  be  called,  if  any  deserve  that  appellation,  the  “  devout  ” 
men  of  their  age  and  nation. 

These  particulars  have  some  additional  interest,  because 
they  correspond  so  fully  with  what  is  intimated  in  Acts  2,  5, 
sq.,  as  true  in  the  age  of  the  apostles.  The  assembly  which 
Peter  and  the  other  disciples  addressed  on  the  day  of  Pen¬ 
tecost  was  made  up  very  much  of  such  devotees,  who  had 
.  come  to  Jerusalem  “  out  of  every  nation  under  heaven.” 
The  miracle,  too,  of  addressing  them  in  different  languages 
was  made  necessary  by  the  fact  that  they  belonged  to  vari¬ 
ous  countries,  and  had  been  brought  up  to  speak  as  many 
different  tongues  or  dialects.  They  were  “  Parthians,  and 
Medes,  and  Elamites,  and  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and  in 
Judea,  and  in  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and  Egypt,  Cretes  and 
Arabians and  yet  they  said,  “  we  do  hear  them  speak  in 
our  tongues  the  wronderful  works  of  God.”  Jerusalem  is  still 
a  Babel  of  confused  voices,  though  not  on  so  large  a  scale. 
A  part  of  the  ceremony  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
at  Easter,  consists  in  the  delivery  of  a  discourse  in  the  prin¬ 
cipal  languages  of  Asia  and  Europe,  for  the  edification  of  the 
various  classes  of  pilgrima  who  are  present  at  that  great  fes¬ 
tival. 


SEPHARADIM,  ASHKENAZIM. 


221 


SYNAGOGUES. 

The  modern  Jews  at  Jerusalem  have  several  synagogues, 
which  they  attend,  not  promiscuously,  but  according  to  their 
national  or  geographical  affinities.  The  particular  bond  of 
union  which  connects  them,  in  this  case,  is  that  of  their  birth 
or  early  residence  in  the  same  foreign  land,  and  their  using, 
consequently,  the  same  dialect.  As  the  number  of  those  from 
a  single  country  may  often  be  too  small  to  form  a  separate 
congregation,  they  unite  with  those  who  come  from  the  same 
general  part  of  the  world,  or  are  descended  from  those  who, 
at  some  remote  period,  dwelt  together,  but  were  afterwards 
scattered  to  other  regions.  Under  this  wider  principle  of 
association,  the  synagogues  at  Jerusalem  are  divided  between 
the  Sepharadim,  as  they  are  called,  who  comprise  the  native 
and  African  Jews,  and  those  from  Spain  and  Portugal;  and 
the  Ashkenazim,  or  the  German  Jews,  including  those  from 
Poland,  Hungary,  and  some  other  lands.  I  am  not  sure  that 
those  of  Portuguese  descent  do  not  meet  by  themselves. 
The  synagogues,  eight  or  ten  in  number,  stand  in  the  Jews’ 
quarter,  which  occupies  the  eastern  half  of  the  portion  of 
Mount  Zion  enclosed  within  the  city  walls,  overlooking  the 
hollow  between  Zion  and  Moriah.  I  learned  that  the  Jews  at 
Safet,  in  northern  Galilee,  who  amount  to  about  three  thou¬ 
sand,  distribute  their  synagogues  in  the  same  manner.  They 
appropriate  four  of  them  to  the  use  of  the  Spanish  and 
Arabian  Jews,  and  four  of  them  to  the  use  of  the  German 
and  Polish  Jews. 


19 


222 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


We  see  here  the  operation  of  the  same  rule  which  gave 
rise  to  so  many  synagogues,  known  under  different  appella¬ 
tions,  in  the  first  Christian  age.  See  Acts  6,  9,  sq.  We 
learn  there  that  those  who  engaged  in  discussion  with  Ste¬ 
phen  belonged  to  different  synagogues,  frequented  by  those 

* 

who  had  their  birth  in  different  countries.  Thus,  some  of 
them  were  from  the  synagogue  of  the  Libertines,  or  Roman 
Jews,  being  freedmen,  or  the  sons  of  freedmen,  who  had 
come  from  Italy ;  some  were  from  the  synagogue  of  the 
Cilicians,  among  whom,  probably,  was  Saul  of  Tarsus,  the 
capital  of  that  province ;  the  Alexandrians,  the  Cyreneans 
and  others,  had,  also,  their  distinct  places  of  worship. 

The  style  in  which  these  houses  of  worship  are  arranged 
furnishes,  probably,  a  good  idea  of  those  of  which  we  read 
in  the  New  Testament,  which  were  honored  so  often  by  the 
presence  and  teaching  of  our  Lord.  Their  construction  is, 
generally,  simple  and  unpretending.  A  platform,  from  which 
the  Scriptures  are  read,  stands  in  the  middle  of  the  room. 
Rude  benches  or  seats  are  crowded  together,  without  much 
regard  to  order.  Some  of  the  synagogues  have  a  gallery, 
screened  with  lattice-work,  behind  which  the  women  are  per¬ 
mitted  to  sit  and  listen.  When  this  convenience  does  not 
exist  they  look  through  the  doors  and  windows,  but  keep  at 
a  distance  from  the  men.  The  ancient  temple,  in  like  man¬ 
ner,  had  its  court  of  the  women,  where  they  occupied  a  sepa¬ 
rate  place  by  themselves.  Every  synagogue  has  a  bath,  under 
the  same  roof  or  in  the  vicinity,  for  enabling  the  worshippers 
to  perform  the  ablutions  to  which  they  attach  so  much  impor- 


THE  SABBATH  AT  NAZARETH. 


223 


tance  Scripture  mottoes,  in  Hebrew,  are  inscribed  here  and 
there  on  the  walls,  admonitory  of  the  sanctity  required  of 
those  who  would  offer  to  God  acceptable  worship.  The  most 
elegant  synagogue -which  I  saw  was  one  owned  by  the  Spanish 
Jews  at  Safet,  just  completed  at  the  time  of  my  visit  there. 
It  stands  on  the  western  side  of  the  hill,  and  is  built  of  a 
species  of  limestone  almost  equal  to  marble.  It  is  adorned 
with  sculptured  work,  about  the  ‘doors  and  windows,  which 
would  do  honor  to  the  taste  and  skill  of  an  architect  in  any 
land. 

JEWISH  worship. 

I  attended  the  Jewish  worship  at  Jerusalem,  and  was 
struck  with  the  accordance  of  the  ceremonies  with  those 
mentioned  in  the  New  Testament.  The  sacred  roll  was 
brought  from  the  chest  or  closet  where  it  was  kept ;  it  was 
handed  by  an  attendant  to  the  reader ;  a  portion  of  it  was 
rehearsed ;  the  congregation  rose  and  stood  while  it  was 
read,  whereas  the  speaker,  as  well  as  the  others  present,  sat 
during  the  delivery  of  the  address  which  formed  a  part  of  the 
service.  In  like  manner  we  read  that  the  Saviour,  on  a  cer¬ 
tain  Sabbath,  at  Nazareth,  “  went  into  the  synagogue,  and 
stood  up  to  read ;  and  there  was  delivered  to  him  the  book 
(or  roll)  of  the  prophet  Isaiah;  and  when  he  had  read,  he 
closed  (properly,  folded  up)  the  book,  arid  delivered  it  again 
to  the  servant,  and  sat  down and  then  proceeded  to  explain 
to  the  people  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures  to  which  they 
had  listened.  See  Luke  4,  16,  sq. 


224 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


READING  ALOUD. 

I  frequently  encountered  parties  of  Jews'  with  the  Hebrew 
Scriptures  in  their  hands,  reading  them  at  the  reputed  tombs 
of  the  prophets  and  patriarchs,  and  other  places  regarded 
by  them  as  holy.  It  is  their  custom,  as  it  is,  indeed,  of  the 
orientals  generally,  to  read  aloud,  even  when  they  do  it  for 
their  owrn  instruction  only,  and  without  any  intention  of 
being  heard  by  others.  They  swing  the  head,  and  even  the 
entire  upper  part  of  the  body,  from  one  side  to  the  other,  as 
they  perform  the  act,  and  utter  the  words  with  a  tone  which 
comes  nearer  to  singing  or  cantilation,  than  to  our  unim¬ 
passioned  mode  of  reading. 

Such  appears  to  have  been,  also,  the  habit  of  persons  in 
ancient  times,  when  they  studied  or  read  a  book  in  a  private 
manner.  This  usage  explains  a  circumstance  in  Luke’s  account 
of  the  interview  between  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian  eunuch, 
which  an  occidental  reader  might  almost  look  upon  as  a  fiction, 
introduced  to  preserve  the  consistency  of  the  narrative.  The 
Evangelist  approaches  the  chariot  of  the  eunuch,  and  finds 
the  way  already  provided  for  his  entering  into  conversation 
with  him,  and  leading  his  mind  to  those  views  of  the  gospel 
which  result  in  his  ready  adoption  of  the  Christian  faith. 
The  Ethiopian  officer  was  not  only  reading  “  Esaias  the 
prophet,”  but  reading  aloud ;  the  Evangelist  heard  him,  and 
“  then  opened  his  mouth,  and  began  at  the  same  Scripture 
and  preached  unto  him  Jesus.”  Such  a  train  of  circum¬ 
stances  would  not  have  attended  the  conversion  of  a  man  in 


A  JEWISH  SCRIBE. 


225 


Italy  or  Greece,  or  any  other  western  country.  They  are 
related  as  taking  place  in  the  case  of  the  Ethiopian,  because 
the  narrative  conforms  to  the  facts ;  and  the  facts  were  so, 
and  not  otherwise,  because  the  national  or  local  customs 
controlled  them. 


COPYING  TIIE  SCRIPTURES. 

In  one  of  the  synagogues  at  Safet  I  found  a  scribe 
engaged  in  making  a  copy  of  the  law.  A  more  elegant  He- 

a 

brew  manuscript,  a  more  perfect  specimen  of  the  calligraphic 
art,  I  never  saw,  than  that  executed  by  this  Jewish  amanu¬ 
ensis.  No  printed  page  could  surpass  it  in  the  beauty,  sym¬ 
metry  and  distinctness,  with  which  the  characters  were  drawn, 
One  peculiarity,  that  struck  me  at  once  as  I  cast  my  eye 
over  the  parchment,  was  the  horn-like  appearance  attached  to 
some  of  the  letters.  I  had  seen  the  same  mark,  before  this, 
in  Hebrew  manuscripts,  but  never  where  it  was  so  promi¬ 
nent  as  here.  The  sign  in  question,  as  connected  with  the 
Hebrew  letter  Lamedh  in  particular,  had  almost  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  an  intentional  imitation  of  a  rani’s  head.  It  was  to 
that  appendage  of  the  Hebrew  letters  that  the  Saviour 
referred  when  he  said,  “  Not  one  jot  or  little  horn  ”  (as  the 
Greek  term  signifies,  which  our  version  renders  “tittle”), 
“shall  pass  from  the  law  until  all  be  fulfilled,”  (Matthew 
5,  18.)  It  was  on  one  of  the  mounts  in  Galilee  that  the 
Saviour  uttered  these  words ;  and  it  was  exceedingly  inter¬ 
esting  to  me  to  meet  with  such  a  proof  in  the  same  country, 
that  copies  of  the  old  Testament  are  still  made  there,  so 

19* 


226 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


minutely  similar  to  those  used  in  the  synagogues  when 
Christ  himself  preached  in  them. 

The  labor  expended  by  the  Jews  in  copying  the  Scriptures, 
as  exemplified  in  the  preceding  case,  has  always  distinguished 
them,  as  far  as  we  have  the  means  of  knowing  what  their 
habits  in  this  respect  have  been.  In  one  sense,  at  least,  they 
appear  to  have  been  faithful  to  their  trust,  as  those  to  whom 
u  were  committed  the  oracles  of  God  ”  (Romans  3,  2) ;  they 
did  not  alter  or  mutilate  the  sacred  text.  Our  Saviour 
charged  the  Jews  of  his  time  with  having  committed  almost 
every  sin  that  can  be  named ;  but  he  does  not  accuse  them 
or  their  fathers  of  having  corrupted  the  records  of  their 
religious  faith.  The  rules  which  they  follow  in  preparing 
eopies  of  the  Pentateuch  for  public  use  illustrate  their  vigi¬ 
lance  in  watching  over  the  sacred  books.  They  assign  the 
work  of  transcribing  them  to  a  particular  class  of  men  who 
are  specially  trained  for  the  service.  Only  one  sort  of  parch¬ 
ment,  and  that  prepared  in  a  certain  way,  can  be  used.  The 
ink  must  be  of  a  definite  kind.  Every  page  must  contain  a 
prescribed  number  of  lines,  and  every  line  the  same  number 
of  words  and  letters.  The  slightest  error  vitiates  a  copy ; 
a  letter  too  much  or  too  little  on  a  page  obliges  the  scribe  to 
throw  aside  his  work  and  begin  anew.  No  copy  is  allowed 
to  be  read  in  the  synagogue  till  it  has  been  examined  by 
competent  men  and  pronounced  free  from  every  defect. 
The  Old  Testament  has  been  handed  down  among  the  Jews, 
under  a  system  of  such  rigid  supervision.  The  fact  is  one 
of  immense  importance,  as  showing,  in  concurrence  with 


HOLY  CITIES. 


227 


other  facts,  that  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  remain  as  they  were 
written  at  first ;  that  we  have  in  them  the  very  words  which 
Moses  and  David  and  Isaiah  addressed  to  their  cotempora¬ 
ries,  and  recorded  for  our  instruction. 

THE  TOWN  OF  SAFET. 

I  have  referred  so  often  to  Safet  that  some  account  of  the 
place  may  not  be  unacceptable  to  the  reader.  It  is  one  of 
the  four  holy  cities  in  Palestine,  of  which  the  Jews  say  that 
if  prayer' should  cease  to  be  offered  in  them,  the  world  would 
instantly  come  to  an  end.  The  other  three  are  Jerusalem, 
Hebron,  and  Tiberias  on  the  lake  of  that  name.  Many  of 
the  Jews  hold  that  the  Messiah  will  make  his  first  appear¬ 
ance  there,  and,  after  a  reign  of  forty  years,  go  forth  thence 
to  receive  the  homage  of  the  nations.  It  is  one  of  the  chief 
seats  of  modern  Judaism.  It  has  a  Jewish  population  next 
to  that  of  Jerusalem.  It  is  one  of  the  shrines  which  every 
Hebrew  pilgrim  to  the  holy  land  regards  it  as  a  matter  of 
religion  to  visit.  It  is  difficult  to  account  for  its  enjoying 
such  a  reputation ;  for  it  has  not  been  identified  with  any 
city  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  has  played  no  im¬ 
portant  part  in  Jewish  history.  The  Rabbinic  schools  for 
which  it  is  distinguished  cannot  be  traced  further  back  than 
the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  houses  of  the 
Jews  here  are  built  on  terraces,  which  rise  in  succession  one 
above  another.  The  roofs  of  each  lower  tier  serve  as  a  path 
or  street  to  those  who  live  in  the  next  higher  tier.  Some 
have  thought  that  the  Saviour  referred  to  such  roofs  when 


228 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


he  said,  “  Let  him  that  is  on  the  house-top  not  come  down, 
to  take  anything  out  of  his  house,”  (Matthew  24,  17.)  But 
the  arrangement  at  Safet  is  peculiar,  as  far  as  I  know,  to 
that  place.  He  referred,  more  probably,  to  the  means  of 
escape  afforded  by  a  stairway  leading  from  the  court  to  the 
roof.  Many  houses  in  the  East  have  that  facility,  by  which 
a  person  could  descend  and  pass  out  of  doors  without  enter¬ 
ing  the  house.  Stairs  on  the  outside  are  rarely  seen. 

I  reached  Safet  near  the  close  of  the  day,  May  fifth.  The 
tent  was  pitched  in  a  grove  of  fig-trees  and  olives,  on  the 
north-west  side  of  the  hill,  not  far  from  the  Jews’  quarter. 
The  elevation  of  the  place,  which  is  equal  to  that  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  secures  to  it  a  pure  air  and  a  healthy  climate.  The 
cool  breezes  were  delightful,  after  breathing  the  furnace-like 
atmosphere  about  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.  It  required  some 
effort  at  night  to  guard  against  the  cold ;  but  the  deep  slum¬ 
bers  which  reward  the  traveler  on  such  a  journey  for  a  day 
of  strenuous  labor,  cause  him  soon  to  forget  any  trifling 
inconvenience  of  that  nature. 

On  the  highest  peak  of  the  hill  stands  one  of  the  noblest 
ruins  in  Palestine.  The  crusaders  built  here  a  castle,  on 
which  they  relied  as  their  main  defence  against  the  incur¬ 
sions  of  the  Saracens  from  the  north.  It  passed  repeatedly, 
during  the  hoty  wars,  from  the  hands  of  one  of  the  combat¬ 
ants  to  those  of  the  other.  The  Turkish  governor  of  the 
town  had  his  quarters  here  as  late  as  1837.  The  terrible 
earthquake  of  that  year  gave  the  finishing  shock  to  the 
crumbling  pile.  Since  then,  though  a  portion  of  the  walls 


JACOB  BERISCH  DAYID. 


229 


and  some  of  the  towers  are  standing,  it  has  been  forsaken, 
except  by  reptiles  and  vultures.  The  prospect  from  this 
height,  in  a  clear  day,  is  one  of  the  grandest  which  that 
country  of  hills  and  valleys  affords.  Tabor,  the  lesser  Her- 
mon,  and  the  mountains  of  Gilead,  are  among  the  distant 
objects  within  sight.  The  Sea  of  Galilee,  not  less  than  ten 
or  fifteen  miles  off,  seemed,  in  its  deep  bed,  as  if  spread  out 
at  my  feet.  The  atmosphere  was  hazy  at  the  time  of  my 
ascent  to  the  castellated  summit,  and  the  distinctness  of  the 
view  was  much  impaired. 

A  DISTINGUISHED  RABBI. 

The  next  morning  I  called  on  the  chief  Rabbi  of  the 
place,  Jacob  Berisch  David,  who  has  the  reputation  of  being 
one  of  the  most  erudite  men  in  Rabbinic  lore  of  whom  the 
Jews  can  boast.  It  was  an  early  hour  for  a  visit,  and,  being 
carelessly  dressed  on  our  arrival,  he  withdrew  after  bidding 
us  welcome,  and  paid  us  the  compliment  of  soon  reappearing 
in  a  garb  more  befitting  his  age  and  rank.  He  was,  appa¬ 
rently,  near  seventy  years  old,  short  in  stature,  but  dignified, 
and  with  a  head  which,  it  is  but  doing  him  justice  to  say,  a 
Raphael  might  have  copied  as  a  model.  He  had  lived  for 
some  years  in  Europe,  and  had  visited  most  parts  of  it.  He 
spoke  the  German  language  with  uncommon  purity  for  a 
Jew.  He  mentioned,  as  one  of  the  opinions  which  his  school 
in  theology  maintain,  that  the  Messiah  has  undergone  re¬ 
peated  incarnations,  has  been  born  and  died  many  times, 
that  the  world,  in  fact,  is  never  without  a  Messiah,  though 


230 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


he  has  never  yet  made  himself  known  as  such.  They  say 
that  the  time  for  this  revelation  depends  on  the  Jewish 
nation ;  that  when  they  have  made  themselves  worthy  of 
such  a  blessing,  by  repenting  of  their  sins  and  reforming,  the 
Messiah  will  then  throw  aside  his  disguise,  and,  by  indubit¬ 
able  signs,  cause  his  real,  but  now  hidden  character  to  be 
known  and  acknowledged.  An  aged  Jew,  whom  I  met  at 
Jerusalem,  advanced  a  different  view.  It  was  that  the  Messiah 
came  into  the  world  many  centuries  ago,  but,  on  account  of  the 
wickedness  of  men,  was  soon  translated,  without  death,  to 
Paradise,  which  my  informant  held  to  be  a  different  place 
from  heaven ;  there  he  now  is,  praying  and  suffering  before 
the  gates  of  Paradise,  to  atone  for  the  sins  of  Israel,  and  on 
finishing  that  work  will  return  and  reign  over  his  people. 
Thus  it  is  that  “  their  minds  are  blinded ;  that  until  this  day 
the  veil  remaineth  untaken  away  in  their  reading  ”  of  the 
Scriptures,  (2  Corinthians  3,  14.) 

THE  LOST  TRIBES. 

Some  years  ago  the  Palestine  Jews  sent  a  deputation  into 
the  interior  of  Africa,  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  a  report  that 
the  lost  tribes  had  been  found  there.  I  inquired  of  the 
Rabbi  respecting  the  result  of  the  expedition.  He  replied 
that  it  was  unsuccessful ;  that  some  of  the  party  died  on  the 
way,  and  those  who  went  farthest,  and  lived  to  return,  heard 
of  nothing  to  justify  the  report  in  question.  He  did  not  him¬ 
self,  he  said,  believe  that  the  lost  tribes  existed  in  Africa,  and 
though  persuaded  that  they  have  kept  themselves  distinct 


RABBINIC  SCHOOLS. 


231 


from  other  nations,  could  not  say  that  he  had  any  fixed  opin¬ 
ion  as  to  the  place  of  their  abode. 

I  asked  him  how  long  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to 
receive  instruction  from  their  Rabbies  —  at  what  age  they 
ceased  to  be  regarded  as  pupils.  The  relation,  he  said,  never 
ceases  ;  unless  they  themselves  become  teachers,  they  con¬ 
tinue  to  attend  the  school,  and  rank  as  disciples.  This  cus¬ 
tom  throws  light  upon  the  common,  and,  no  doubt,  correct 
opinion  that  the  apostle  Paul  was  a  pupil  of  Gamaliel  at  the 
time  of  his  conversion,  and  long  after  he  had  arrived  at  the 
age  of  manhood. 

A  JEWISH  FESTIVAL. 

It  so  happened  that  the  evening  of  May  sixth  was  the  anni¬ 
versary  of  a  peculiar  festival  at  Meiron,  distant  about  six 
miles ;  a  festival  which  is  wont  to  draw  together  many  thou¬ 
sands  of  Jews,  not  only  from  all  parts  of  the  East,  but  from 
the  different  countries  of  Europe.  On  learning  this,  as  it 
was  but  little  out  of  the  way,  I  decided  to  go  thither  and 
witness  the  celebration.  As  few  travelers  have  been  so  for¬ 
tunate  as  to  be  there  at  the  precise  time  of  this  observance, 
and  the  strange  carnival  has  seldom  been  described  by  an 
eye-witness,  it  will  be  proper  for  me  to  give  some  account  of 
what  I  saw.  It  is  to  be  feared  that  the  transaction  illus¬ 
trates  but  too  faithfully  the  heartlessness  and  indecorum 
which  appeared  so  often  in  connection  with  the  festivals  of 
the  ancient  Hebrews,  and  which  the  prophets  exposed  and 
rebuked  with  so  much  severity. 

We  left  Safet  about  the  middle  of  the  forenoon,  and  came 


232 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


in  eight  minutes  to  Ain  ez-Zeitun,  Fountain  of  the  Olives, 
a  place  justly  entitled  to  that  name.  It  was  a  goodly 
sight  to  look  around  upon  the  olives,  fig-trees,  almonds, 
lemons  and  pomegranates,  which,  favored  by  the  soil  and  the 
climate,  attained  here  a  rare  perfection.  As  we  rode  on  we 
overtook  several  companies  of  Jewish  pilgrims,  some  riding, 
but  most  of  them  on  foot.  A  stream  of  them  had  been 
pouring  through  Safet  during  the  night  and  the  early  hours 
of  the  forenoon.  Many  of  them  carried  bundles  in  their 
hands,  which  excited  our  curiosity  at  the  time ;  but  the 
object  and  contents  of  them  we  did  not  know  until  the  sequel 
of  events  let  us  into  the  secret.  We  reached  Meiron  in  two 
hours. 

TOMBS  AT  MEIRON. 

As  the  principal  festival  was  not  to  take  place  until  after 
dark,  I  had  an  opportunity,  during  the  interval,  to  examine 
the  tombs  which  the  Jews  visit  here  with  so  much  venera¬ 
tion.  They  are  the  reputed  tombs  of  eminent  teachers  who 
presided  over  the  Rabbinic  schools,  which  flourished  here  in 
former  ages.  Some  of  them,  according  to  the  Jewish  belief, 
lived  and  died  before  the  Christian  era.  Here,  among  others, 
as  they  suppose,  was  buried  Ilillel,  the  grandfather  of  Ga¬ 
maliel,  Paul’s  teacher.  For  a  long  period  of  time  it  was 
the  great  burial-place  of  their  most  illustrious  men  of  learn¬ 
ing.  No  spot  in  Palestine,  except  Jerusalem,  attracts  to  it 
so  many  Jewish  pilgrims  as  Meiron. 

The  most  remarkable  tomb,  so  far  as  regards  its  structure, 
is  an  excavation  on  the  south  side  of  a  hill,  known  as  the 


A  REMARKABLE  TOMB. 


233 


tomb  of  Rabbi  Iiillel  and  his  disciples.  It  is  cut  out  of  the 
solid  rock.  The  entrance  is  through  a  narrow  door,  which 
obliges  one  to  stoop.  According  to  a  rough  measurement,  I 
found  the  dimensions  to  be  some  twenty-five  feet  long, 
eighteen  wide,  and  ten  high.  There  were  thirty  niches  for 
the  reception  of  bodies.  Some  of  them  were  so  arranged  as 
evidently  to  distinguish  their  occupants  above  their  fellows. 
In  several  of  them  were  stone  sarcophagi  of  immense  weight, 
the  lids  of  which,  ornamented  with  sculptured  figures,  were 
partially  slipped  aside.  No  trace  of  any  remains  of  the 
dead  was  to  be  found.  The  bottom  of  the  cave  was  covered 
with  two  or  more  feet  of  water,  and  I  was  obliged  to  mount 
on  the  back  of  a  man,  in  order  to  make  my  examinations. 
The  Jew  who  performed  the  service  for  me,  took  up  with 
his  hands  some  of  the  water  from  the  graves,  and  drank  it 
as  an  act  of  pious  homage  to  the  dead. 

DIVERSIONS. 

Rut  the  tombs  which  they  more  especially  venerate  are- 
three  tombs  at  the  end  of  a  stone  edifice  which  encloses  an 
open  parallelogram,  about  an  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty 
wide.  This  was  the  great  point  of  rendezvous.  The  apart¬ 
ment  over  the  graves,  a  sort  of  oratory,  was  hung  with 
burning  lamps  and  crowded  with  worshippers.  A  spreading 
fkr-tree  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  court  and  furnished  an 
agreeable  shade.  Around  the  sides  of  the  court  were  alcoves 
or  stalls,  which  were  filled  with  people,  along  with  their  beds 
and  other  traveling  equipments.  Intoxicating  drink  was 

20 


234 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


furnished  abundantly  and  abundantly  used ;  for  some  of  the 
men  were  plainly  under  the  influence  of  it  even  while  they 
stood  praying  at  the  graves  of  their  rabbies.  Various 
amusements  were  constantly  going  on.  In  one  quarter  was 
a  crowd  gathered  around  a  couple  of  swordsmen,  who,  while 
they  sought  to  parry  each  other’s  thrusts,  brandished  their 

weapons  in  such  a  manner  as  to  keep  time  with  the  cymbals 

* 

which  others  were  beating;  a  double  contest,  in  which  the 
performers  had  to  show  their  skill  as  fencers  and  musicians 
in  the  same  exercise.  In  another  quarter  was  a  group  of 
dancers,  in  which  the  old  man  of'  seventy  turned  with  what 
agility  he  could  in  the  same  gyrations  with  young  men  and 
boys ;  while  the  spectators  sung  and  clapped  their  hands  in 
harmony  with  the  movement.  The  clapping  of  hands,  which 
is  so  often  mentioned  in  the  Old  Testament,  I  observed  on 
other  occasions,  as  well  as  on  this.  The  practice  maintains 
its  place  still  among  the  musical  entertainments  in  which 
the  people  of  the  East  delight. 

LOCAL  TRADITIONS. 

A  deep  ravine  separates  the  hills  of  Meiron  from  a  high 
ridge  on  the  opposite  side.  I  descended  into  this  ravine  to 
a  beautiful  fountain,  sunk  a  few  feet  below  the  ground  and 
loosely  walled  up  with  stones.  A  sparkling  rivulet  issues 
from  it  and  flows  toward  the  east.  The  Jews  whom  I  met  here 
said  that  this  was  Deborah’s  fountain ;  because  that  heroine 
bathed  here  on  the  morning  when  she  went  forth  to  fight 
with  Sisera.  Mount  Tabor,  at  the  foot  of  which  the  battle 


PILLAR  OF  ELIJAH. 


235 


was  fought,  may  be  seen  from  these  hills  of  Galilee ;  and 
the  mountaineers  who  descended  from  them  into  the  plain  of 
Jezreel,  were  among  those  who  helped  to  achieve  the  vic¬ 
tory.  See  Judges  4,  6,  sq.  Within  sight,  on  a  neighboring 
hill,  wTas  a  pillar  of  stone,  which  the  Jews  said  was  Elijah’s 
seat,  because  he  was  accustomed  to  rest  there  as  he  jour¬ 
neyed  through  this  region.  He  will  come  again  a  second 
time,  they  remarked  to  me,  and  will  then  change  the  pillar 
into  gold.  Here  we  have  a  trace  of  the  opinion,  in  respect 
to  which  the  Jews  in  Christ’s  time  were  so  tenacious,  that 
one  of  the  antecedents  of  the  Messianic  age  was  that  “  Elias 
must  first  come,”  (Matthew  17,  10.)  Their  mistake  was 
that  they  expected  a  literal  return  of  the  prophet,  instead 
of  the  appearance  of  one  who  should  manifest  his  “  spirit 
and  power.”  The  pillar  is  supposed  to  be  the  fragment  of  a 
pagan  temple  ;  but  by  whom  built,  or  when,  is  unknown. 

THE  CELEBRATION. 

The  ceremony  forming  the  climax  of  the  festival,  which 
the  Jews  had  met  here  to  celebrate,  consisted  of  the  burning 
of  costly  gifts  in  honor  of  their  ancient  teachers.  It  took 
place  within  the  court  of  the  building  of  which  I  have 
already  spoken.  Soon  after  dark,  the  crowd,  which,  during 
the  afternoon  had  been  scattered  hither  and  thither,  assem¬ 
bled  here,  filling  the  court,  the  stalls  and  the  gallery  or  corri¬ 
dor  overhanging  the  court.  The  entire  space  was  crowded 
almost  to  suffocation.  A  pillar,  supporting  a  stone  trough 
or  basin,  stood  at  one  corner  of  the  gallery,  where  every  eye 


286 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


could  see  it.  Near  this  basin  was  placed  a  vessel  with  oil, 
in  which. the  articles  to  be  burnt  were  first  dipped,  to  render 
them  inflammable.  At  a  given  signal,  a  man  with  a  blazing 
torch  mounted  the  stairs  leading  to  the  gallery.  At  the  sight 
of  this  the  hum  of  voices  ceased ;  every  one  looked  eagerly 
in  that  direction.  It  was  evident  that  all  were  intent  with 
expectation.  The  first  article  burnt  was  a  costly  shawl ;  the 
offering  of  a  rich  Jew  from  Jaffa,  who  was  said  to  have 
paid  one  thousand  and  five  hundred  piastres,  about  seventy- 
five  dollars,  for  the  privilege  of  opening  the  ceremony.  The 
shawl  was  dipped  in  the  oil,  lifted  to  the  basin,  and  the 
torch  applied  to  it.  As  it  began  to  blaze  the  multitude  raised 
a  shout  which  made  the  welkin  ring ;  the  men  clapped  their 
hands,  and  the  women  shrieked  out  the  sharp,  quavering 
note  of  joy  which  one  hears  only  in  those  eastern  lands.  The 
light  thus  suddenly  flashed  on  the  eyes  of  the  beholders 
revealed  a  curious  spectacle  in  the  gallery  which  overhung 
three  sides  of  the  court.  Men,  women  and  children,  were 
crowded  together  there  in  solid  masses,  occupying  different 
attitudes,  some  standing,  others  sitting  or  crouching  beneath 
the  green  booths  erected  to  shelter  them  from  the  dew  by 
night,  and  the  heat  by  day.  They  were  variously  dressed  in 
the  many-shaped  costumes  of  the  lands  represented  by  them ; 
for  they  had  come  from  homes  under  almost  every  sky  from 
the  equator  to  the  poles.  The  darkness  had  hitherto  con¬ 
cealed  them,  in  a  measure ;  they  could  be  seen  through  the 
shades  only  in  dim  outline.  But  now,  as  the  dazzling  flame 
leaped  from  the  trough,  and  threw  its  searching  light  over 


ARTICLES  BURNT. 


237 


the  crowd,  the  obscurity  passed  away;  the  figures  of  the 
motley  group  started  at  once  into  view,  and  gave  peculiar 
animation  to  the  scene.  Other  offerings,  as  shawls,  scarfs, 
handkerchiefs,  books,  were  brought  forward,  dipped  in  oil 
and  consumed  in  like  manner;  while  from  time  to  time,  as 
an  article  was  seen  to  be  specially  rich,  or  burned  with  un¬ 
common  brilliancy,  the  spectators  broke  forth  into  renewed 
expressions  of  delight.  At  length,  another  basin  was  pre¬ 
pared  at  the  opposite  corner  of  the  gallery,  and  gifts  were 
thrown,  also,  into  that.  The  work  went  on  with  unabated 
vigor  until  it  became  so  late  that  I  was  obliged  to  retire ; 
and  I  was  told  in  the  morning  that  it  continued  through  the 
greater  part  of  the  night. 

RUINS  OF  A  SYNAGOGUE. 

Before  starting  the  next  morning,  May  seventh,  I  went  to 
see  some  interesting  ruins,  which  were  said  to  occur  not  far 
from  our  encampment.  A  walk  of  a  few  minutes  brought 
me  to  the  remains  of  what  must  have  been  once  a  splendid 
edifice,  dating,  in  all  probability,  from  the  time  when  the 
great  masters  of  Babbinic  learning  lived  and  taught  here. 
The  outline  of  the  facade  may  still  be  traced,  and  one  of  the 
walls  is  comparatively  perfect.  The  door-posts  consist  of 
single  blocks  of  stone,  nearly  ten  feet  high.  A  rocky  preci¬ 
pice,  cut  down,  apparently,  to  some  extent  for  the  purpose, 
formed  one  side  of  the  edifice.  A  few  sculptured  ornaments 
have  escaped  the  ravages  of  time.  The  building  stones  are 
of  great  thickness,  and  several  large  columns  lie  prostrate 

20* 


238 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


in  the  neighborhood.  On  my  return  I  met  a  company  of 
Jews,  who  were  going  to  the  same  place,  of  whom  I  inquired 
what  they  supposed  the  object  of  the  structure  had  been. 
They  replied  in  German,  “  Es  ist  die  Schule,”  by  which 
they  meant  a  Jewish  school,  or  synagogue ;  and  thus  gave 
me,  no  doubt,  the  national  tradition  respecting  the  locality. 

THE  IIILLS  OF  GALILEE. 

It  was  a  little  past  six  o’clock,  a.  m.,  as  we  set  forth  again 
from  Meiron.  Our  destination  was  the  sea-coast,  in  the 
region  of  Akka  and  Carmel.  As  affording  a  glimpse  of  the 
beautiful  land  of  Galilee,  the  scene  of  so  much  of  the  per¬ 
sonal  history  of  the  Saviour  and  the  apostles,  I  subjoin  a 
part  of  the  record  of  this  day’s  journey.  We  struck  down 
the  steep  hill  into  the  Wady  on  the  south,  crossed  the  spark¬ 
ling  brook  at  the  bottom  of  it,  and,  bearing  toward  the  east, 
reascended  on  the  opposite  side.  We  pursued  our  way  here 
over  a  ridge  of  high  ground,  thickly  set  with  low  trees  and 
bushes,  resembling  very  much  the  more  open  parts  of  our 
New  England.  The  Sea  of  Tiberias,  of  which  we  had  lost 
sight  at  Meiron,  was  in  view  again  for  some  time.  We 
passed,  now  and  then,  shepherds  tending  their  flocks,  which 
consisted  of  goats  as  well  as  sheep ;  the  former  remarkable 
for  their  long  ears,  which  almost  rested  on  the  ground,  as 
they  cropped  the  grass.  In  proceeding  so  far  to  the  east  we 
went,  in  one  sense,  out  of  our  way;  but  the  object  was  to 
pass  around  a  high  range  of  hills,  instead  of  crossing  them, 


A  GALILEAN  TEMPE. 


239 


I 

and  then  turn  on  the  other  side  to  the  south-west,  which  was 
our  proper  direction. 

Haying  gained  this  position,  our  course,  for  the  remainder 
of  the  day’s  journey,  lay  along  the  bottom  of  a  somewhat 
broad  depression  between  two  parallel  lines  of  hills ;  a 
depression  which  had,  in  general,  the  character  of  a  plain, 
sloping  gradually  towards  the  south-west.  At  one  point  the 
ground  rose  considerably,  and  the  hills  came  nearer  to  each 
other,  so  as  to  seem  at  a  distance  to  enclose  the  valley  on 
that  side ;  but,  just  beyond  this  apparent  boundary,  we  found 
that  the  hills  fell  apart  again,  and  the  ground  descended,  at 
times,  more  sharply  than  before,  till  it  sank  down  into  the 
plain  about  Akka.  The  sides  of  the  hills  were  well  wooded 
with  bushes  and  with  trees  of  a  moderate  height ;  while  the 
intermediate  tract  along  which  we  traveled  was  highly  cul¬ 
tivated.  The  olive  groves  here  were  the  noblest  that  I  saw 
in  Palestine.  Some  of  the  trees,  judging  from  their  gnarled 
and  decayed  trunks,  must  have  been  as  old  as  those  regarded 
as  so  ancient  at  the  foot  of  Olivet.  They  were  in  blossom 
at  the  time,  and  the  flower  gave  to  them  a  beauty  which  that 
tree  does  not  ordinarily  possess.  We  crossed  one  copious 
stream,  which  descended  from  the  hills  on  the  right,  and  dis¬ 
appeared  among  the  gardens  and  orchards  near  a  village  on 
the  left.  I  retain  a  delightful  impression  of  this  Galilean 
Tempe,  if  I  may  so  call  it.  The  hills  which  enclose  it  on 
either  side,  seemed,  at  some  points,  almost  to  mingle  with 
the  sky.  It  was  easy  to  think  of  them  as  nature’s  palisades, 
erected  for  fencing  out  the  world’s  cares  and  alarms,  from  this 


240  SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS, 

quiet  retreat.  A  Sabbath  stillness  rested  on  the  scene.  The 
people  were  pursuing  their  labors  at  a  distance,  and  we  met 
but  one  party  of  travelers.  Field  and  forest  were  clothed 
with  verdure.  Though  the  sun  was  hot,  the  heat  was  attem¬ 
pered  by  a  gentle  breeze.  I  could  not  keep  out  of  mind 
Johnson’s  description  of  the  happy  valley,  in  his  Rasselas. 
The  tranquillity  of  the  scene,  the  rural  beauty  and  seclusion 
of  the  place,  forced  on  me  that  remembrance. 

The  villages  which  we  passed  on  the  way  were  Kef’r  Berim, 
Semuy,  Rameh,  Neckev,  and  Mejd  el-Kerum.  At  this  last 
place  the  ruins  of  a  synagogue,  similar  to  those  at  Meiron, 
are  said  to  be  found.  This  part  of  Galilee  belonged  to  the 
tribe  of  Naphtali ;  and  it  admits  of  no  doubt  that  Rameh 
marks  the  site  of  the  Ramah  mentioned  in  Joshua  19,  86,  as 
one  of  the  cities  of  that  tribe.  It  is  to  be  distinguished 
from  a  place  of  the  same  name  which  belonged  to  Asher, 
(Joshua  19,  29).  A  Neckeb  (Joshua  19,  33),  which  sounds 
like  Neckev,  was  another  of  the  towns  of  Naphtali.  "We 
had  pursued  here  the  track  which  the  ancient  caravans  fol¬ 
lowed  (it  was  the  maritime  route)  in  passing  between 
Damascus  and  Egypt. 

At  three  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  we  encamped  in  an  olive 
grove,  near  a  small  village  called  Beroe,  on  the  border  of  the 
plain  of  Akka,  and  to  the  east  of  that  city.  Our  tents  were 
pitched  behind  a  slight  eminence  which  cut  off  the  view 
towards  the  south  and  west;  but  by  ascending  that,  distant 
but  a  few  rods,  we  could  see  the  Mediterranean,  Akka,  the 
monastery  on  Carmel,  and  the  whole  expanse  of  the  beauti- 


FLIES  NUMEROUS. 


241 


ful  plain  at  the  foot  of  that  mountain.  Beroe  is  put  down 
on  Bitter’s  map,  but  has  been  generally  overlooked.  The 
villagers,  as  they  returned  home  at  evening,  stopped  to  look 
at  us,  but  showed  themselves  civil  and  friendly.  Of  the 
flies  I  cannot  speak  so  favorably ;  they  exceeded  in  number, 
size  and  ferocity,  any  specimens  of  the  kind  that  ever  fell  in 
my  way.  The  low,  marshy  ground  in  the  vicinity  may  have 
caused  them  to  swarm  so  abundantly  just  here. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


JERUSALEM  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 


TIIE  FIRST  VIEW. 

“  Of  earthly  sights,”  wrote  Dr.  Arnold,*  “  Rome  ranks 
as  the  third,  Athens  and  Jerusalem  are  the  other  two ;  — 
the  three  people  of  Cod’s  election,  two  for  things  temporal, 
and  one  for  things  eternal.  Yet,  even  in  things  eternal,  the 
two  former  were  allowed  to  minister.”  It  had  already  been 
my  privilege  to  spend  a  month  in  the  capital  of  the  Roman 
world ;  it  was  reserved  for  me,  on  my  return  from  the  East, 
to  linger  for  a  while  in  the  ancient  home  of  Attic  arts  and 
learning;  but  now,  on  the  afternoon  of  April  the  second, 
I  was  about  to  behold  the  greatest  of  these  “  earthly  sights  ” 
—  Jerusalem,  “the  city  of  the  great  King  ” — the  scene  of 
events  the  greatest  that  have  entered  into  human  history.  I 
will  presume  on  sufficient  sympathy  between  myself  and  the 
reader  to  allow  myself  to  state  exactly  how  I  felt  at  that 
moment.  Our  approach  was  along  the  Jaffa  road,  from  the 

*  As  he  was  approaching  Rome.  See  his  Life  and  Correspondence, 
by  Mr.  Stanley  (Am.  ed.),  p.  496. 


WIIY  PLACES  DISAPPOINT  US. 


243 


north-west.  I  knew,  from  the  changing  aspect  of  the  coun¬ 
try,  which  grew  wilder  and  wilder  as  we  ascended  one  height 
after  another,  that  we  could  not  be  far  from  the  limit  of  our 
journey.  I  have  read  of  many  travelers,  who,  on  approach¬ 
ing  the  holy  city,  have  been  impatient  to  obtain  the  first 
view  ;  who  have  hurried  forward  to  outstrip  their  compan¬ 
ions,  and  be  the  first  to  cry  “Jerusalem,  Jerusalem!”  My 
impulse  was  just  the  reverse  of  this.  I  fell  back  into  the 
rear  of  the  company,  allowed  the  others  to  precede  me, 
turned  my  face,  in  fact,  for  a  while,  in  the  opposite  direction ; 
and,  though  I  had  then  only  to  lift  up  my  eyes,  and  gratify 
a  desire  which  had  been  for  years  one  of  the  strongest  of  my 
heart,  and  which  had  incited  me  to  cross  seas  and  continents, 
I  shrank,  at  last,  from  giving  up  the  Jerusalem  of  my  imagin¬ 
ation  for  a  reality,  which,  I  knew  too  well,  must  be  attended 
with  some  disappointment.  The  truth  is,  no  place  of  which 
we  have  read  and  thought  much  can  correspond  exactly  with 
our  anticipations ;  and,  though  it  may  prove,  after  a  fuller 
acquaintance,  to  be  as  worthy  of  our  interest  and  admiration 
as  we  had  supposed,  yet,  if  it  differs  at  first  sight  from  our 
previous  notions,  that  difference  itself  diminishes  our  pleas¬ 
ure,  and  causes  us  to  feel  disappointed.  Yet,  after  all,  the 
first  sight  of  Jerusalem,  though  it  may  not  turn  out  to  be 
the  exact  original  of  the  picture  in  the  traveler’s  mind,  is 
novel  and  interesting.  As  seen  from  the  direction  in  which 
we  advanced,  it  appears  to  lie  on  the  side  of  a  hill  sloping 
towards  the  east.  The  walls,  notched  with  battlements,  the 
entire  circuit  of  which  lies  at  once  beneath  the  eyeq  the  tur- 


244 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


rets  of  the  Church  of  the  Sepulchre ;  the  minarets ;  the  lofty 
cupola  of  the  Mosque  of  Omar;  the  towering  castle  of 
David ;  the  domes  and  terraced  roofs  of  the  houses ;  come 
suddenly  into  view,  and  produce  a  startling  effect.  It  should 
be  added  that  the  bold  form  of  Olivet,  as  it  rises  over  the 
city,  on  the  left,  and  the  distant  hills  of  Moab  in  dim  per¬ 
spective,  belong  to  the  scene  which  greets  the  eye  from 
this  particular  position. 

WIIAT  IS  PROPOSED. 

Jerusalem  was  the  great  point  of  central  interest  to  the 
ancient  people  of  God,  both  in  a  civil  and  a  religious  sense. 
The  Psalmist  (122,  1,  sq.)  recognizes  these  two  grounds  of 
attachment  to  the  capital,  in  the  words  which  he  puts  into 
the  mouth  of  the  Hebrew  pilgrims  : 

“  I  rejoice  in  those  who  say  to  me, 

*  Unto  the  house  of  Jehovah  we  will  go.’ 

Standing  now  are  our  feet 
Within  thy  gates,  0  Jerusalem  ! 

Whither  go  up  the  tribes, 

The  tribes  of  Jehovah,  as  prescribed  to  Israel^ 

To  give  thanks  unto  the  name  of  Jehovah. 

For  there  are  set  thrones  of  judgment, 

The  thrones  of  the  house  of  David. 

For  the  sake  of  the  house  of  Jehovah,  our  God, 

I  will  seek  thy  welfare.” 

So,  also,  at  the  present  time,  no  place  in  the  Bible  engages 
the  reader’s  attention  so  often  as  the  holy  city.  The  leading 
narratives  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  journeys  of  the  Saviour, 


INTEREST  OF  JERUSALEM. 


245 


the  tragic  events  connected  with  his  death,  his  ascension, 
the  first  conflicts  and  triumphs  of  the  gospel,  all  conduct  us 
to  Jerusalem  as  the  great  scene  of  the  transactions  which 
give  interest  and  importance  to  the  sacred  record.  Every 
person  must  be  anxious  to  form  in  his  mind  a  distinct  image 
of  so  remarkable  a  place.  It  may  be  useful  to  set  apart  a 
few  pages  to  the  attempt  to  gratify  that  desire.  The  diffi¬ 
culty  will  be  to  select  judiciously  from  so  wide  a  field  the 
points  best  entitled  to  be  made  prominent  in  a  rapid  sketch. 
The  material  here  is  so  copious  that  it  would  be  easy  to 
write  a  volume,  if  another  volume  were  needed,  on  this  single 
topic.  I  aim  at  nothing  beyond  a  general  outline  of  the 
subject.  For  the  sake  of  guarding  against  the  confusion 
which  is  apt  to  arise  from  too  great  a  multiplicity  of  par¬ 
ticulars,  we  may  pass  over  entirely  the  perplexed  questions 
of  archeologists,  so  important  in  their  place,  as  well  as  the 
minute  details  which  modify,  of  course,  all  general  states 
ments.  I  rely  on  books  for  a  few  statistical  data ;  but, 
otherwise,  shall  endeavor  to  transfer  to  the  reader  the  pic¬ 
ture  of  Jerusalem  and  its  environs  which  a  survey  of  the 
scene  has  imprinted  on  my  own  mind. 

SITE  OF  JERUSALEM. 

The  situation  of  Jerusalem  is  remarkably  unique,  and  may 
be  understood  the  more  easily  on  that  account.  We  are  to 
conceive  of  the  mountains  which  extend  from  the  plain  of 
Esdraelon  to  the  southern  borders  of  Palestine,  as  sinking 
down  with  some  abruptness,  near  the  point  where  they  attain 

21 


246 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


their  greatest  elevation,  and  spreading  themselves  out  into  a 
moderate  plateau.  This  plain  is  cut  off  from  the  adjacent 
country  on  three  sides, -—-namely,  the  east,  west  and  south, — 
by  deep  valleys ;  while  on  the  north  it  is  connected,  by  a  level 
tract,  with  the  higher  ground  in  that  direction.  Jerusalem 
occupies  the  space  so  nearly  enclosed  by  these  valleys ;  it 
stands  on  what  may  be  called  a  tongue,  or  projection,  of  one 
of  the  mountains  of  Judea.  The  eastern  valley  begins  on  the 
north-west;  but,  on  reaching  the  north-east  corner  of  the  city, 
changes  its  course,  and  runs  nearly  north  and  south.  This  is 
the  valley  of  the  Kedron,  as  it  is  called  in  the  Old  Testament, 
or  of  Jehoshaphat,  a  later  name,  which  was  derived,  prob¬ 
ably,  from  a  false  interpretation  of  Joel  3,  2.  The  western 
valley,  known  as  Gihon,  approaches  the  city  from  the  north¬ 
west,  flows  to  the  south  as  far  as  the  south-western  extremity 
of  Zion,  where  it  turns  abruptly  to  the  east,  and  passes  along 
the  south  of  Jerusalem,  until  it  intersects  the  valley  of 
J ehosnaphat.  In  the  latter  part  of  its  course  it  bends  more 
and  more  to  the  east,  and  for  a  short  distance  runs  parallel 
to  the  valley  from  the  north  into  which  it  falls.  This  exten¬ 
sion  of  Gihon,  on  the  south  of  Jerusalem,  is  called  Hinnom. 
The  ground  on  which  the  city  stands  rises  into  three  or  four 
eminences,  the  principal  ones  of  which  are  Mount  Zion  on  the 
west,  and  Moriah  on  the  east,  with  a  depression  between 
them,  the  ancient  Tyropoeon,  which  falls  into  the  valley  of 
Hinnom  on  the  south.  J erusalem  occupies  nearly  the  highest 
point  of  land  between  the  Jordan  and  the  Mediterranean; 
distant  about  twenty-five  miles  from  the  former,  and  thirty- 


PLAN  OF  JERUSALEM, 


248 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


five  from  the  latter.  The  water-shed  of  the  region  occurs 
about  two  miles  to  the  west.  It  lies  in  latitude  31°  47' 
north,  and  longitude  35°  13'  east  from  Greenwich. 

The  present  walls  of  the  city  embrace  a  circuit  of  about 
two  miles  and  a  half.  They  stand,  generally,  as  near  the 
edge  of  the  valleys  as  the  ground  will  allow ;  except  that  a 
part  of  Moriah  known  as  Ophel,  and  the  southern  extremity 
of  Zion,  are  now  outside  of  the  city.  The  figure  which  the 
walls  describe  is  an  irregular  oblong;  the  more  extended  sides 
running  from  east  to  west.  They  vary  in  height  from  twenty 
to  fifty  feet,  as  the  surface  of  the  ground  may  require.  The 
present  walls  are  not  older  than  the  sixteenth  century.  They 
are  furnished  with  turrets  and  loop-holes,  but  would  afford 
little  security  against  the  present  mode  of  warfare. 

The  city  has  four  gates  at  present  in  use,  which  look 
towards  the  cardinal  points;  namely,' the  Jaffa  gate  on  the 
west,  the  Damascus  gate  on  the  north,  that  of  St.  Stephen 
on  the  east,  and  Mount  Zion’s  on  the  south.  The  first  two 
receive  their  names  from  the  cities  to  which  the  roads  that 
start  from  them  lead ;  the  third  is  so  called  from  a  tradition 
that  the  first  Christian  martyr  was  put  to  death  in  that 
quarter;  and  the  fourth,  from  its  situation,  on  Mount  Zion. 
Three  or  four  smaller  gates  have  been  closed  up,  which  are 
now  seldom  or  never  opened. 

No  one  can  doubt  that  the  ancient  Jerusalem  enclosed  a 
wider  circuit  than  the  modern  town.  It  included,  no  doubt, 
the  whole  of  Zion  and  Moriah  and  a  portion  of  the  open 
country  on  the  north-west  side,  where  the  ruins  of  houses 


CONFESSION  OF  TITUS. 


249 


are  still  found  which  must  have  belonged  to  the  city.  It  had 
two  walls  in  the  days  of  Christ,  except  where  the  precipitous 
banks  were  supposed  to  render  one  wall  a  sufficient  protection  ; 
and,  shortly  before  the  siege  of  Titus,  it  was  strengthened  by 
a  third  wall,  added  by  Herod  Agrippa.  Its  position  in  the 
heart  of  a  mountainous  country,  its  distance  from  the  great 
thoroughfares  of  commerce  and  migration,  and  its  almost  im- 
pregnable  strength,  in  consequence  of  the  ravines  around  it, 
preserved  the  existence  of  the  Jewish  capital  for  a  period 
of  time  almost  unequalled  in  the  history  of  nations.  Its 
final  conquest  and  destruction  were  effected  only  by  the  last 
efforts  of  Homan  courage  and  power.  Titus,  the  victor,  was 
compelled  to  own  that  a  divine  arm  interposed  in  his  behalf.* 

TIIE  CHANGES  OF  TIME. 

The  circumstance  which  might  be  supposed  at  first  thought 
to  afford  the  chief  pleasure  of  a  visit  to  Jerusalem  is  not  the 
one,  in  fact,  which  fulfils  that  expectation.  It  would  be 
gratifying,  certainly,  to  be'  able  to  identify  the  exact  places 
which  the  events  of  Scripture  have  rendered  memorable.  It 
is  impossible,  however,  to  do  this,  except  in  a  few  cases.  Tra¬ 
ditions,  it  is  true,  are  current  among  the  oriental  Christians, 
which  profess  to  give  us  all  the  information  on  such  points 
that  any  one  could  desire.  Some  of  them  may  be  well 
founded ;  no  reflecting  person  would  reject  them  all  as 
alike  worthless.  13ut,  in  general,  such  traditions  are  nothing 

*  The  Ro.inan  writers  record  his  declaration  that,  unless  the  gods 
had  fought  against  the  Jews,  he  could  never  have  taken  tlieir  city. 

21* 


250 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


but  vague  conjectures ;  they  are  incapable  of  being  traced 
back  far  enough  to  give  them  the  value  of  historical  testi¬ 
mony,  and  often  are  contradicted  by  facts  known  to  us  from 
the  Bible,  and  other  sources,  or  clash  with  other  traditions 
maintained  with  equal  confidence.  Very  few  spots  exist  at 
Jerusalem,  or  in  the  neighborhood,  to  which  the  traveler  can 
turn  his  steps,  and  feel,  as  he  stands  there,  that  he  is  looking 
upon  the  undoubted  scene  of  this  or  that  particular  occur¬ 
rence,  of  which  we  read  with  so  much  interest  in  the  sacred 
volume. 

Nor  can  any  one  reasonably  be  surprised  at  this  fact. 
■“  No  ancient  city,”  says  Yon  Baumer,  “not  excepting  Borne 
itself,  has  undergone  (since  the  age  of  Christ)  so  many 
changes  as  Jerusalem.  Not  only  houses,  palaces,  temples, 
have  been  demolished,  rebuilt  and  destroyed  anew,  but  entire 
hills  on  which  the  city  stood  have  been  dug  down,  and  valleys 
filled  up.”*  When  the  Episcopal  church  was  built,  a  few 
years  ago,  on  Mount  Zion,  it  was  found  necessary,  as  I  was 
told,  to  dig  through  the  accumulated  rubbish  to  the  depth 
of  forty  feet  or  more,  in  order  to  obtain  a  proper  support  for 
the  foundations.  But,  although  such  alterations  impair  or 
destroy  our  means  of  identifying  particular  places,  wTe  can 
yet  feel  assured,  as  wre  look  around  us  at  Jerusalem,  that 
within  the  space  of  a  few  miles,  at  least,  all  those  great 
events  occurred  which  give  to  that  city  its  world-wide  in¬ 
terest.  Especially  do  the  objects  and  aspects  of  nature 
remain  unchanged.  Olivet,  Moriah,  Zion,  the  valleys,  rocks, 

•*  Palastina,  von  Karl  von  Raumer  (1850),  p.  252. 


MOUNT  OF  OLIVES. 


251 


fields,  the  nearer  and  more  distant  scenery,  are  still  there, 
just  as  they  met  the  view  of  those  whose  names  are  so  im- 
perishably  connected  with  them.  It  is  such  general  reflections 
that  the  traveler  finds  it  the  most  interesting  to  entertain. 
He  feels  that  he  secures  the  great  reward  of  his  journey,  if 
he  can  obtain  a  fresh  and  vivid  impression  of  natural  objects, 
of  the  permanent  features  of  the  country,  the  various  points 
of  contrast  or  agreement  which  that  part  of  the  world  offers, 
as  compared  with  what  we  observe  or  miss  here  at  home. 

I  remained  at  Jerusalem  nearly  four  weeks ;  and  sought, 
during  that  time,  to  make  myself  familiar,  first,  with  the 
objects  of  interest  around  the  city,  and,  secondly,  with  the 
remains  of  Hebrew  and  Christian  antiquity  within  it.  Let 
us  now  traverse  rapidly  the  same  ground  anew ;  glancing,  as 
we  proceed,  which  is  all  that  can  be  done  within  our  present 
limits,  at  the  prominent  points  of  view,  and  the  places  of  chief 
interest  which  engage  the  observer’s  attention  on  the  spot. 

VIEW  FROM  ST.  STEPHEN’S  GATE. 

Threading  our  way  through  the  narrow  streets  of  the  city, 
we  arrive  at  St.  Stephen’s  gate,  on  the  east  side,  and  com¬ 
mence  our  circuit  there.  Passing  out,  we  stop,  for  a  mo¬ 
ment,  under  the  walls,  and  look  around  us.  Opposite  to  us, 
across  the  narrow  valley  on  the  edge  of  which  we  stand, 
rises  the  Mount  of  Olives.-  It  stretches  so  far  from  north  to 
south  as  to  intercept  entirely  the  view  towards  the  east. 
The  top  is  not  level,  but  notched  with  three  summits;  the 
middle  one  of  whjch  is  the  highest,  crowned  with  a  cluster 


252 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


of  buildings,  prominent  among  which  is  a  small  mosque  with 
a  minaret.  This  central  height  is  pointed  out  as  the  scene 
of  the  ascension ;  and  a  chapel  stands  there,  consecrated  to 
the  memory  of  that  event.  Three  paths,  deeply  worn,  lead 
over  the  mount.  The  middle  one  goes  directly  to  Bethany, 
on  the  eastern  side,  the  home  of  Lazarus,  to  which  the  Saviour 
retired  so  often  during  his  visits  to  Jerusalem ;  the  one  fur¬ 
ther  to  the  south  leaves  that  village  a  little  on  the  left,  and 
is  the  road  to  Jericho  and  the  Jordan.  We  gaze  at  those 
paths  the  more  intently  because  wrn  can  have  no  doubt  that 
the  feet  of  the  Saviour  trode  them  again  and  again,  as  he  ap¬ 
proached  the  city  or  left  it.  That  reflection  came  over  me 
with  such  power,  as  my  eyes  fell  upon  them  for  the  first 
time,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  weeping.  Olivet  has 
shared  in  the  general  neglect  which  has  converted  so  much 
of  the  country  into  a  desert.  It  is  naturally  susceptible  of 

/ 

high  cultivation.  It  must  have  been  adorned,  anciently, 
with  fields  of  grain,  groves  and  orchards.  At  present  it 
exhibits,  on  the  whole,  a  desolate  appearance.  Itocky  ledges 
crop  out,  here  and  there,  above  the  surface,  and  give  to  the 
hill  a  broken,  sterile  aspect.  The  loose  soil,  which  might 
otherwise  cover  them  in  part,  is  left  to  be  washed  away. 
Yet,  the  mount  is  not  wholly  destitute  of  verdure  even  now. 
A  few  spots  are  planted  with  grain ;  and  fruit-trees,  as 
almonds,  figs,  pomegranates,  olives,  are  scattered  up  and 
down  its  sides.  The  olives  take  the  lead,  decidedly,  and 
thus  vindicate  the  propriety  of  the  ancient  name.  A  shep¬ 
herd,  watching  a  few  sheep  or  goats,  emerges  now  and  then 


RESERVOIR  UNDER  THE  WALL. 


253 


into  view,  and  gives  diversity  to  the  scene.  From  our  posi¬ 
tion  at  the  gate  we  see  distinctly  the  enclosure  of  Geth- 
semane,  at  the  foot  of  the  mount. 

Just  at  our  left,  under  the  wall,  is  a  large  reservoir,  where 
several  men  are  raising  water  for  their  horses  and  other  ani¬ 
mals,  by  means  of  a  windlass,  with  a  jar  or  bucket  attached 
to  it.  The  people  come  hither,  also,  to  bathe.  The  water 
here  was  sufficient  for  that  purpose  as  late  as  the  beginning 
of  April.  On  our  right  lies  a  Mohammedan  cemetery,  which 
covers  a  great  part  of  the  eastern  slope  of  Moriah  in  that 
quarter. 

THE  EROOK  KEDRON. 

Leaving  now  our  station,  we  go  forward,  and,  at  the  dis¬ 
tance  of  a  few  rods,  begin  to  descend  the  steep  bank  before 
us,  into  the  valley  of  the  Kedron.  On  our  way  we  pass  the 
spot  said  to  have  been  stained  by  the  blood  of  the  martyr 
Stephen.  From  the  edge  of  this  slope  to  the  bottom  the  dis¬ 
tance  is  about  four  hundred  feet ;  the  actual  height  may  be 
one  hundred  feet.  The  valley,  which  we  now  cross,  runs 
from  north  to  south,  overlooked  by  the  walls  of  the  city  on 
the  west,  and  the  ridge  of  Olivet  on  the  east.  In  two  or 
three  minutes  we  come  to  a  bridge,  or  causeway,  over  the 
dry  bed  of  the  Kedron.  The  stream  which  bears  this  name 
makes  its  appearance  at  a  point  a  little  south,  of  Jerusalem, 
and  runs  thence  in  winter  to  the  Lead  Sea.  The  part  of  the 
gulley  opposite  to  the  city  contains  no  water,  unless  a  little 
may  be  found  there  for  a  short  time  after  a  heavy  rain.* 

*  An  American  friend,  who  had  resided  at  Jerusalem  through  the 


254 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


The  brook  belongs  properly  to  the  southern  part  of  the  glen, 
but  gives  name  to  its  entire  course.  On  the  right  hand  and 
left,  just  before  we  step  on  the  bridge,  several  fig-trees  and 
olives  shade  our  path.  The  valley,  as  we  look  up  from  this 
point  towards  the  north,  becomes  wider  and  less  abrupt,  but 
on  the  other  side  contracts  itself,  in  consequence  of  the 
nearer  approach  of  Olivet  and  Moriah  to  each  other.  Be¬ 
yond  the  bridge  we  pass,  on  the  left  hand,  a  chapel  built 

* 

over  a  deep  grotto,  known  as  the  tomb  of  the  Virgin.  On 
one  occasion  I  attended  a  religious  service  here  at  early 
dawn.  The  sight  of  so  much  splendor  in  such  a  place  sur¬ 
prised  me.  A  galaxy  of  lamps  of  massive  silver,  suspended 
from  the  roof,  poured  their  mingled  light  through  the  cavern  ; 
the  offerings,  no  doubt,  of  rich  devotees  from  the  Catholic 
lands  of  Europe.  Subterranean  passages  branch  out  from 
this  grotto  in  various  directions.  A  large  tree,  with  out¬ 
stretched  branches,  stands  in  front  of  it,  where  a  group  of 
loungers  may  be  seen  at  almost  all  hours. 

CETHSEMANE. 

Following  now  a  path  which  turns  a  little  to  the  south, 
at  the  distance  of  eight  or  ten  rods  beyond  the  bridge  we 
reach  the  north  end  of  the  garden  of  Gethseinane.  The 
ground  begins  to  rise  here,  and  we  stand  at  the  western  foot 
of  Olivet.  It  is  the  spot  above  every  other  which  the  vis¬ 
itor  must  be  anxious  to  see  It  is  the  one  which  I  sought 

winter,  and  had  kept  an  eye  on  this  matter,  stated  to  me  that  he  had 
never  seen  any  water  there  at  any  time. 


THE  GARDEN  IDENTIFIED. 


255 


out  before  any  other,  on  my  arrival  at  Jerusalem,  and  the 
one  of  which  I  took  my  last  formal  view  on  the  morning 
of  my  departure.  The  tradition  which  places  the  agony  and 
betrayal  of  the  Saviour  here  has  a  great  amount  of  evidence 
in  its  support.  Eusebius,  Bishop  of  Caesarea,  who  lived 
almost  early  enough  to  have  taken  by  the  hand  some  aged 
Christian  who  had  seen  the  companions  of  the  apostles,  speaks 
of  the  garden  as  well  known ;  and  J erome,  about  fifty  years 
later,  repeats  the  same  testimony,  and  describes  the  situation 
of  the  spot  in  accordance  with  the  present  locality.  There  is 
no  proof  that  the  tradition  has  ever  wavered.  The  indications 
in  the  New  Testament  favor  entirely  the  same  view.  When 
it  is  said  that  “  Jesus  went  forth  with  his  disciples  beyond 
the  brook  Kedron,  where  was  a  garden”  (John  18,  1),  it  is 
implied  that  he  did  not  go  far  up  the  Mount  of  Olives,  but 
reached  the  place  which  he  had  in  view  soon  after  crossing 
the  bed  of  that  stream.  The  garden  is  named  in  that  pas¬ 
sage  with  reference  to  the  brook,  and  not  the  mountain. 

The  space  enclosed  as  Gethsemane  contains  about  one 
third  of  an  acre,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  low  wall,  covered 
with  white  stucco.  It  is  entered  by  a  gate,  kept  under  lock 
and  key,  under  the  control  of  one  of  the  convents  at  Jeru¬ 
salem.  The  eight  olive-trees  here  are  evidently  very  aged; 
most  of  them,  though  they  are  still  verdant  and  productive, 
are  so  decayed  that  heaps  of  stones  have  been  piled  up  against 
their  trunks,  to  keep  them  from  being  blown  down  by  the 
wind.  Trees  of  this  class  are  remarkably  long-lived,  and  it 
is  not  impossible  that  those  now  here  may  have  sprung  from 


256 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  roots  of  those  which  grew  there  in  the  days  of  Christ.* 
Other  olive-trees,  apparently  quite  as  old,  occur  just  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  enclosure.  It  may  be  allowed  that  the 
original  garden  may  have  been  more  or  less  extensive  than 
the  present  site,  or  have  stood  a  few  rods  further  to  the  north 
or  the  south ;  but  far,-  certainly,  from  that  spot  it  need  not 
be  supposed  to  have  been.  We  may  sit  down  there,  and  read 
the  affecting  narrative  of  what  the  Saviour  endured  for  our 
redemption,  and  feel  assured  that  we  are  near  the  place 
where  he  prayed,  “  saying,  Father,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be 
done and  where,  “  being  in  an  agony,  he  sweat  as  it  were 
great  drops  of  blood,  falling  down  to  the  ground.” 

“  He  bows  beneath  the  sins  of  men  ; 

He  cries  to  God,  and  cries  again, 

In  sad  Gethsemane  ; 

He  lifts  his  mournful  eyes  above  — 

‘  My  Father,  can  this  cup  remove  ?  ’ 

“  With  gentle  resignation  still, 

He  yielded  to  his  Father’s  will 
In  sad  Gethsemane  ; 

‘  Behold  me  here,  thine  only  Son  ; 

And,  Father,  let  thy  will  be  done.5 

“  The  Father  heard  ;  and  angels,  there, 

Sustained  the  Son  of  God  in  prayer. 

In  sad  Gethsemane  ; 

He  drank  the  dreadful  cup  of  pain  — 

Then  rose  to  life  and  joy  again.”  f 

*  See  Schubert’s  Reise  in  das  Morgenland,  Yol.  m.,  p.  521. 
t  The  author  of  these  lines  is  the  Rev.  S.  F.  Smith,  D.  D. 


A  PASSAGE  EXPLAINED. 


257 


The  garden  has  a  reservoir,  which  supplies  water  for  moist¬ 
ening  the  ground,  and  cultivating  a  few  flowers.  A  series 
of  rude  pictures  may  be  seen  on  the  interior  face  of  the  wall, 
representing  different  scenes  in  the  history  of  Christ’s  pas¬ 
sion,  such  as  the  scourging,  the  mockery  of  the  soldiers,  the 
sinking  beneath  the  cross,  and  the  like.  As  I  sat  beneath 
the  olives,  and  observed  how  very  near  the  city  was,  with 
what  perfect  ease  a  person  there  could  survey  at  a  glance 
the  entire  length  of  the  eastern  wall,  and  the  slope  of  the  hill 
towards  the  valley,  I  could  not  divest  myself  of  the  impres¬ 
sion  that  this  local  peculiarity  should  be  allowed  to  explain  a 
passage  in  the  account  of  the  Saviour’s  apprehension.  Every 
one  must  have  noticed  something  abrupt  in  his  summons  to  the 
disciples  —  “  Arise,  let  us  be  going;  see,  he  is  at  hand  that 
doth  betray  me,”  (Matthew  26,  46.)  It  is  not  improbable 
that  his  watchful  eye,  at  that  moment,  caught  sight  of  Judas 
and  his  accomplices,  as  they  issued  from  one  of  the  eastern 
gates,  or  turned  round  the  northern  or  southern  corner  of  the 
walls,  in  order  to  descend  into  the  valley.  Even  if  the  night 
was  dark,*  he  could  have  seen  the  torches  which  they  car¬ 
ried,  and  could  have  felt  no  uncertainty  respecting  the  object 
of  such  a  movement  at  that  unseasonable  hour.  This  view 
is  not  necessary  to  the  explanation  of  the  passage,  but  it  is 
a  natural  one,  and  supplies  a  connection  between  the  lan- 
2ua<re  and  the  external  circumstances,  which  augments  exceed- 
ingly  the  graphic  power  of  the  narrative. 

As  I  was  passing  near  Gethsemane  one  day,  I  saw,  at  a 

*  But  see  the  remarks  on  page  139. 

22 


258 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


little  distance,  a  shepherd  engaged  in  shearing  one  of  his 
flock.  The  animal  lay  stretched  before  him  on  the  ground ; 
submitting,  without  resistance  or  complaint,  to  the  operation 
which  he  was  performing.  It  seemed  as  if  every  movement 
of  the  shears  would  lacerate  the  flesh  ;  the  feet  were  bound ; 
the  man’s  knees  were  pressed  rudely  against  the  sides  of  the 
helpless  captive.  This  posture,  so  irksome,  had  to  be  en¬ 
dured  for  a  considerable  time  before  the  ample  fleece  was 
removed.  Yet,  during  it  all,  it  was  wonderful  to  observe 
how  patient  the  creature  remained ;  it  struggled  not,  opened 
not  its  mouth.  Under  ordinary  circumstances  the  incident 
might  not  have  attracted  my  attention  ;  but,  being  seen  in 
such  a  place,  it  spoke  to  my  heart  with  touching  power. 
How  could  I  forget  the  prophet’s  use  of  that  emblem,  in 
describing  the  spirit  of  unshrinking  submission  to  appointed 
suffering,  which  was  to  distinguish  the  Saviour  of  men,  and 
of  which  he  gave  such  matchless  proof  in  the  agony  of  the 
.  garden  !  Isaiah  (53,'  7)  said,  with  reference  to  that  trait  of 
his  character,  “  He  is  brought  as  a  lamb  to  the  slaughter, 
and  as  a  sheep  before  her  shearers  is  dumb,  so  he  opened 
not  his  mouth.” 

TOMBS  IN  THE  VALLEY  OF  JEIIOSHAPHAT. 

Leaving  Gethsemane,  we  go  down  the  valley,  along  a  path 
a  little  to  the  east  of  the  Kedron,  and,  in  a  few  minutes, 
come  to  a  cluster  of  remarkable  tombs  on  our  left.  They 
have  the  form  of  beautiful  temples ;  and  two  of  them,  in¬ 
stead  of  being  constructed  of  stones  laid  upon  each  other, 


JEWISH  CEMETERIES 


259 


have  been  sculptured  out  of  the  rock  in  one  solid  mass.  The 
most  perfect  of  them  is  known  as  the  tomb  of  Absalom  ; 
who,  having  no  posterity,  is  said  to  have  “  reared  for  him¬ 
self  a  pillar  in  the  king’s  dale,  to  keep  his  name  in  remem- 
brance,”  (2  Samuel  18,  18).  One  of  them  is  called  the 
tomb  of  Zacharias,  the  martyr  of  that  name,  who  was  “  slain 
between  the  temple  and  the  altar,”  (Matthew  23,  25).  Another 
is  commonly  marked  as  the  cave  of  St.  James,  because  he  is 
said  to  have  taken  refuge  there  on  the  night  of  the  betrayal. 
The  structures  are,  undoubtedly,  ancient ;  but  show  a  style 
of  decoration  not  earlier  than  the  Roman  age.  It  is  pos¬ 
sible  that  they  may  be  older,  and  that  the  embellishments 
were  added  at  a  later  period. 


The  ground  behind  these  tombs,  along  the  base  and  up 
the  sides  of  Olivet,  glitters  with  the  white  slabs,  which  cover 
the  graves  of  the  Jews  buried  there.  The  stones  are  slightly 


260 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


elevated,  and  marked  with  Hebrew  inscriptions.  This  is 
their  great  cemetery ;  the  one  in  which  they  esteem  it  so 
great  a  privilege  to  be  interred.*  Still  further  back  on  the 
hill  occurs  a  labyrinth  of  tombs,  singularly  intricate,  which 
extend  for  a  great  distance  under  ground ;  they  are  called- 
the  Tombs  of  the  Prophets,  though  for  what  reason  is  un¬ 
known.  At  the  point  where  we  now  are  the  Valley  of 
Jehoshaphat  is  narrower  than  in  any  other  part. 

FOUNTAIN  OF  THE  VIRGIN. 

Off  against  the  Pillar  of  Absalom  we  cross  an  arch  over 
the  bed  of  the  Kedron  to  the  western  side.  A  path  here 
leads  up  the  steep  bank  of  Moriah  to  the  south-east  corner 
of  the  Haram,  or  enclosure  of  the  mosque,  so  that  we  are 
now  opposite  to  the  south  end  of  the  city.  The  level  of  the 
city  is  not  less  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  us.  We 
go  forward  again  down  the  valley,  and,  at  the  distance  of 
about  fifteen  hundred  feet,  come  to  the  mouth  of  a  remark¬ 
able  pool  on  our  right,  which  lies  in  the  bosom  of  an  im¬ 
mense  rock.  It  is  evidently  artificial,  cut  into  the  eastern 
side  of  Ophel,  as  the  part  of  Moriah  which  projects  out  of 
the  walls  is  here  called.  Two  flights  of  steps  —  the  first 
sixteen,  the  second  thirteen,  with  a  plane  of  twelve  feet 
between  them  —  lead  down  to  the  water.  The  depth  below 
the  level  of  the  valley  is  twenty-five  feet.  The  source  of  the 
water  is  a  mystery.  It  is  probably  connected,  in  some  way, 
with  a  system  of  aqueducts  or  fountains,  under  the  temple 


*  See  page  219, 


"VILLAGE  OF  SILWAN. 


261 


mount,  which  has  not  yet  been  explored.  The  water  flows 
off  through  a  subterranean  passage  under  the  hill,  into  a 
pool  on  the  opposite  side.  The  fountain  has  been  observed 
to  rise  and  fall  at  frequent  intervals ;  though  it  was  not  my 
good  fortune  to  observe  any  instance  of  that  fluctuation.  The 
basin  is  fifteen  feet  long,  and  five  or  six  feet  wide.  The 
people  resort  to  this  place  to  fill  their  skins  or  jars  with 
water  ;  and,  in  hot  weather,  make  no  scruple  to  use  it  as  a 
bath.  The  style  of  the  work  must  convince  every  one  that 
it  was  constructed  by  Jewish  hands;  and  it  is  not  strange 
that  attempts  have  been  made  to  identify  it  with  some  one 
of  the  pools  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures.  It  has  borne,  at 
different  times,  the  name  of  almost  every  one  of  them. 
Some  of  the  opinions  on  this  subject  are  certainly  false,  and 
the  others  are  nothing  more  than  conjectures. 

\ 

THE  POOL  OF  SILOAM. 

Setting  forth  again,  we  pursue  still  the  path  between  the 
Kedron  and  the  base  of  Ophel.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
valley,  along  the  foot  of  Olivet,  lies  a  small  Arab  village, 
called  Silwan,  though  scattered  over  considerable  ground. 
The  people  here  live  in  miserable  huts,  some  of  which,  in 
fact,  are  sepulchres  hewn  in  the  rocks,  where  the  ancient 
inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  buried  their  dead.  Near  here,  as 
the  name  of  the  place  indicates,  must  have  stood  that  tower 
of  Siloam,  of  which  we  read  that  it  “  fell,  and  slewT  eighteen 
persons,”  (Luke  13,  4).  This  part  of  Olivet,  the  southern 

extremity,  is  called,  usually,  the  Mount  of  Offence ;  because 
22* 


262 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Solomon  and  some  of  the  later  kings  are  said  to  have  prac¬ 
tised  there  the  abominations  of  idolatry. 

Having  advanced  about  fourteen  hundred  feet,  we  now 
turn  around  the  sharp  point  of  Ophel,  to  the  right,  and  see 
before  us  the  valley  of  the  Tyropoeon,  the  depression,  or 
recess,  between  Moriah  and  Zion,  on  the  south  of  the  city. 
Here,  at  the  base  of  Ophel,  where  it  rises  to  the  height  of 
forty  or  fifty  feet,  in  a  slight  channel,  cut  in  the  rocky 
bottom  for  the  purpose,  a  streamlet  murmurs  gently  along, 
sparkling  in  the  sunbeams.  This  is  the  rill  which  Mil- 
ton  has  made  so  familiar  to  us  as 

- “  Siloah’s  brook,  that  flowed 

Fast  by  the  oracle  of  God.” 

Isaiah  (8,  6)  speaks  of  “  the  waters  of  Shiloah,  that  go 
softly.”  Who  can  doubt  that  he  referred  to  the  same  pecu¬ 
liarity  of  the  tranquil  flow  of  the  current,  which  is  so  observ¬ 
able  at  present?  We  follow  this  stream  a  few  steps  towards 
the  north-west,  and  come  then  to  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  out  of 
which  it  flows.  J osephus  mentions  a  pool  of  this  name,  and 
describes  it  as  situated  precisely  here ;  so  that  no  doubt 
can  exist  as  to  its  being  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  to  which  our 
Saviour  sent  the  blind  man  to  wash  for  the  recovery  of  his 
sight,  (John  9,  T.)  The  water  issues  first  from  an  excava¬ 
tion  in  the  side  of  Ophel,  and  then  passes  into  a  reservoir, 
at  the  distance  of  a  few  feet.  Some  broken  columns,  and 
other  fragments,  show  that  an  edifice,  probably  a  church,  was 
formerly  built  over  this  pool.  It  contained,  when  I  saw  it, 


THE  KING’S  GARDEN. 


263 


two  feet  of  water.*  A  zig-zag  passage,  cut  through  the  solid 
rock,  nearly  two  thousand  feet  in  length,  connects  Siloam  with 
the  Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  on  the  opposite  side  of  Ophel. 
The  same  stream,  of  course,  supplies  both  fountains.  The 
brook  of  Siloah,  after  running  a  few  rods  to  the  east,  irrigates 
a  plantation  of  fruit-trees  and  vegetables  ;  it  is  the  most  fer¬ 
tile  spot  in  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  Here,  no  doubt,  was 
the  “king’s  garden,”  of  which  Nehemiah  speaks  (3,  15)  as 
near  the  “  pool  of  Siloah.” 

FORMER  RESERVOIRS. 

IVe  turn  a  little  to  the  east  from  the  pool,  and  cross  a 
causeway  towards  the  south,  built  up  against  the  mouth  of 
the  Tyropceon,  where  it  falls  into  the  Valley  of  Jehoshaphat. 
The  ground  here  indicates  incontestably  that  one  or  more 
reservoirs  existed  formerly  above  this  dam,  which  may  have 
been  filled  with  water  partly  from  the  winter  rains,  and  partly 
from  the  pool  of  Siloam.  A  writer  who  lived  about  a.  d.  600 
mentions  one  of  them  as  a  place  to  which  the  people  had 
free  access,  at  certain  hours,  for  the  purpose  of  swimming 
and  bathing,  f  The  basin  could  be  distinctly  traced  as  late 
as  the  close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Hr.  Robinson  remarks 
that  it  was  probably  ancient.  The  space  is  now  filled  up 
with  earth  and  cultivated. 

*  The  length  of  the  reservoir  is  given  as  fifty-three  feet,  the  breadth 
as  eighteen,  and  the  depth  as  nineteen. 

f  See  Tobler’s  Siloahquelle  und  der  Oelberg  (1852),  p.  32. 


264 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


WELL  OP  EN-ROGEL. 

Just  below  this  causeway  is  the  point  where  the  valley  of 
Iiinnom,  which  runs  from  west  to  east  on  the  south  of  Jeru¬ 
salem,  falls  into  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat.  We  pass  that 
point  a  short  distance,  and  come  to  a  well,  which  can  be  no 
other  than  the  En*ltogel  of  Scripture.  It  is  a  living  foun¬ 
tain,  sunk  to  a  great  depth  in  the  earth.  It  is  mentioned 
(Joshua  15,  7.  10)  as  one  of  the  boundaries  between  Judah 
and  Benjamin.  Adonijah  and  his  accomplices  were  feasting 
here  when  Solomon  was  proclaimed  king,  and,  as  would  be  so 
perfectly  easy  at  that  distance,  heard  the  shout  of  the  peo¬ 
ple  which  rent  the  city  on  that  occasion.  See  I  Kings  1,  9, 
sq.  The  trees  and  gardens  which  surround  us  here  give  to 
the  place  a  cheerful  aspect.  Here  is  the  proper  head  of  the 
brook  Kedron.  After  the  rains  of  winter  the  water  issues 
from  the  ground,  in  two  places,  and  gradually  swells  into  a 
torrent,  which  plunges  over  its  rocky  bed  through  the  wild 
ravine,  until  it  enters  the  Dead  Sea.  This  well  is  said  to 
have  concealed  the  fire  of  the  temple  during  the  period  of 
the  captivity,  and  is  sometimes  called  Nehemiah’s  well, 
because  he  is  supposed  to  have  recovered  the  fire  thence,  on 
the  return  from  the  exile.  The  natives  call  it,  also,  Joab’s 
well,  possibly  on  account  of  his  participation  in  the  con¬ 
spiracy  of  Adonijah. 

VALLEY  OF  IIINNOM. 

Retracing  our  steps  to  the  point  of  intersection,  we  turn 
to  the  west,  and  soon  enter  the  narrow  gorge  which  protects 


A  MOURNFUL  SCENE. 


265 


Jerusalem  on  the  south.  The  scene  here  is  almost  terrific, 
both  in  its  aspect  and  its  associations.  It  is  the  ancient 
Hinnom,  or  Gehenna,  where  a  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burn¬ 
ing,  to  consume  the  offal  and  rubbish  thrown  out  of  the  city ; 
and  where  the  idolatrous  Hebrew  kings  caused  children  to  be 
sacrificed  to  Moloch.  A  wall  of  frowning  rocks  and  preci¬ 
pices  hangs  over  us  on  the  left,  and  the  southern  extremity 
of  Zion  rises  so  steeply  on  the  right  that  one  must  almost 
look  up  into  the  zenith  in  order  to  scale  the  top  of  it  with 
the  eye.  Tradition  has  named  the  hill  on  the  left  the  Hill 
of  Evil  Council,  because  Judas  is  said  to  have  met  the  Jew¬ 
ish  priests  in  a  house  there,  for  the  purpose  of  concerting 
measures  to  betray  the  Saviour  to  them.  The  rocky  sides 
of  this  hill  are  full  of  sepulchres,  now  unused,  except  as 
shepherds  occasionally  resort  to  them  with  their  flocks  for 
shelter.  The  expense  and  labor  lavished  upon  many  of 
them  indicate  that  they  were  appropriated  once  to  the  inter¬ 
ment  of  the  wealthier  families  of  the  city.  One  afternoon  I 
wandered  out  alone,  and  spent  some  hours  in  exploring  these 
gloomy  abodes  of  the  dead.  It  so  happened  that  no  per¬ 
son  appeared  anywhere  within  sight ;  no  voice  or  footfall 
of  any  living  thing  reached  the  ear ;  a  silence  profound  as 
the  grave  reigned  around  me;  and,  as  I  looked  into  one  tomb 
after  another,  and  surrendered  my  mind  to  the  thoughts 
which  the  genius  of  the  place  would  naturally  awaken,  I 
found  myself  oppressed,  at  length,  with  a  feeling  so  desolate 
and  horror-stricken,  that  it  was  a  relief  to  get  through  with 


266 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


my  task,  and  come  forth  where  I  could  see  and  hear  again 
the  sights  and  sounds  of  a  living  world. 

THE  DEATH  OF  JUDAS. 

As  we  pass  the  rocky  heights  of  Hinnom  we  are  reminded 
of  the  miserable  end  of  the  traitor.  Matthew  states  (27,  5) 
that  Judas,  after  having  brought  his  money  and  thrown 
it  down  in  the  temple,  went  and  hanged  himself.  Luke 
states  (Acts  1,  18)  that  he  “purchased  a  field  with  the 
reward  of  iniquity,  and,  falling  headlong,  burst  asunder  in 
the  midst,  and  all  his  bowels  gushed  out.”  We  have  no  cer¬ 
tain  knowledge  as  to  the  mode  in  which  we  are  to  combine 
the  two  statements,  so  as  to  connect  the  act  of  suicide  with 
what  happened  to  the  body.  Interpreters  have  suggested 
that  Judas  may  have  hung  himself  on  a  tree  near  a  preci¬ 
pice  over  the  valley  of  Hinnom,  and  that  the  limb  or  rope 
breaking,  he  fell  to  the  bottom,  and  was  dashed  to  pieces  by 
the  fall.  For  myself,  I  felt,  as  I  stood  in  this  valley,  and 
looked  up  to  the  rocky  terraces  which  hang  over  it,  that  the 
proposed  explanation  was  a  perfectly  natural  one.  I  w'as 
more  than  ever  satisfied  with  it.  I  measured  the  precipitous, 
almost  perpendicular,  walls,  in  different  places,  and  found 
the  height  to  be,  variously,  forty,  thirty-six,  thirty-three, 
thirty  and  twenty-five  feet.  Olive-trees  still  grow  quite 
near  the  edge  of  these  rocks,  and,  no  doubt,  in  former  times 
they  were  still  more  numerous  in  the  same  place.  A  rocky 
pavement  exists,  also,  at  the  bottom  of  the  precipices ;  and 
hence,  on  that  account,  too,  a  person  who  should  fall  from 


ZION  PLOUGHED. 


267 


above  would  be  liable  to  be  crushed  and  mangled,  as  well  as 
killed.  The  traitor  may  have  struck,  in  his  fall,  upon  some 
pointed  rock,  which  entered  the  body  and  caused  “  his  bowels 
to  gush  out.”  The  Aceldama,  or  field  of  blood,  which  was  pur¬ 
chased  with  his  money,  tradition  has  placed  on  the  Hill  of  Evil 
Council.  It  may  have  been  in  that  quarter,  at  least ;  for  the 
field  belonged  originally  to  a  potter  (Matthew  27,  7),  and  ar¬ 
gillaceous  clay  is  still  found  in  the  neighborhood.  A  workman, 
in  a  pottery  which  I  visited  at  Jerusalem,  said  that  all  their 
clay  was  obtained  from  the  hill  over  the  Yalley  of  Hinnom. 
Supposing  Judas  to  have  fallen  into  the  valley,  as  suggested 
above,  we  need  not  understand  Luke  as  saying,  in  Acts  1, 
19,  that  “  the  field  of  blood  ”  was  situated  there ;  but  simply 
that  the  field  which  the  priests  purchased  with  his  money 
for  the  burial  of  strangers,  wherever  it  was,  was  called  Acel¬ 
dama,  because  the  fact  of  the  traitor’s  bloody  end  was  so 
notorious.  Matthew  (27,  7)  mentions  another  reason  for  the 
appellation,  which  was  that  the  money  paid  for  the  field  was 
“  the  price  of  blood  not  a  different,  but  concurrent  reason, 
showing  that  the  ill-omened  name  could  be  used  with  a 
double  emphasis. 

As  we  turn  our  eyes  again  to  Mount  Zion,  on  the  other 
side,  we  see  a  field  of  grain,  nearly  ripe,  in  one  place,  and  a 
team  of  oxen  ploughing  in  another.  It  is  on  a  part  of  the 
hill  which  must  have  been  within  the  limits  of  the  ancient 
city.  The  sight  presents  to  us  a  literal  fulfilment  of  the 
prophet’s  words,  —  “  Zion  shall  be  ploughed  as  a  field,  and 
Jerusalem  shall  become  heaps,”  (Micah  3,  12.) 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


*  268 

THE  WEST  SIDE. 

As  we  pass  around  the  south-west  corner  of  Zion,  the 
valley  which  we  have  followed  up  suddenly  expands,  and 
assumes  a  more  cheerful  look.  The  sacred  hill  towers  far 
above  us  on  the  right,  and  the  plain  of  Rephaim,  so  fertile 
(Isaiah  17,  5),  and  so  often  contested  in  battle  (2  Samuel  5, 
18),  comes  into  view  on  the  left.  Hinnom  is  the  proper 
name,  also,  of  this  part  of  the  valley  (Joshua  18,  16),  but 
it  is  commonly  known,  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  as  Gihon. 
Instead  of  ascending  the  hill,  and  following  the  foot-path 
under  the  western  wall  of  the  city,  let  us  proceed  along  the 
bottom  of  the  valley.  In  a  few  minutes  we  come  to  the 
margin  of  the  largest  reservoir  in  the  vicinity  of  Jerusalem, 
marked  on  the  plans  as  Birket  es-Sultan,  or  Lowrer  Gihon.  It 
is  a  ruin  at  present,  incapable  of  holding  any  water,  and  has 
not  been  used,  probably,  for  centuries.  One  day,  as  I  passed 
there,  I  saw  horses  and  donkeys  at  pasture  within  the  limits 
of  the  ample  basin.  It  is  nearly  six  hundred  feet  in  length, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  average  breadth,  and  forty  in 
depth.  Though  the  walls  are  very  much  decayed,  they  are 
sufficiently  distinct  to  show  the  extent  of  the  work.  It  must 
have  been,  in  effect,  a  permanent  reservoir;  for  such  an 
amount  of  water  as  was  capable  of  being  collected  there  could 
hardly  be  exhausted  before  the  annual  supply  was  renewed. 
No  one  doubts  that  it  was  one  of  the  ancient  pools  which  sup¬ 
plied  the  city  with  water.  It  is  another  proof  of  the  energy 
with  which  the  Hebrews  labored  to  overcome  the  natural  dis- 


AQUEDUCT  FROM  BETHLEHEM. 


269 


advantages  to  which  they  were  subject.  It  is  hardly  an  exagge¬ 
ration  to  say  that  a  circle  of  artificial  lakes  encompassed  the 
Jerusalem  of  olden  times.  We  look  up  from  our  position  here 
to  the  city,  and  observe  that  we  are  directly  opposite  to  the 
south-west  corner  of  the  wall.  The  outside  portion  of  Mount 
Zion  is  occupied  chiefly  as  a  burial-place.  The  road  to  Bethle¬ 
hem,  which  comes  down  from  the  Jaffa  gate,  crosses  the  valley 
just  below  the  reservoir.  Near  here,  also,  is  a  broken  arch, 
which  supported  the  aqueduct  by  which  water  was  brought 
to  Jerusalem  from  the  Pools  of  Solomon,  near  Bethlehem. 

UPPER  GIHON. 

The  valley,  as  we  advance,  recedes  considerably  from  the 
line  of  the  city  walls  towards  the  west.  The  bank  on  the 
right  is  somewhat  steep,  but  much  more  sloping  on  the  left. 
At  the  distance  of  several  hundred  yards  we  come  to  another 
pool,  Birket  el-Mamilla,  generally  supposed  to  be  the  Upper 
Gihon  of  Scripture,  (Isaiah  36,  2.)  This  reservoir  is  still 
used,  and  on  the  ninth  of  April  contained  three  or  more  feet 
of  water.  It  is  about  three  hundred  feet  long,  two  hundred 
wide,  and  twenty  feet  deep.  It  has  steps  at  two  of  the  cor¬ 
ners,  which  enable  the  people  not  only  to  descend  and  fetch 
up  water,  but  to  lead  down  animals  to  drink.  It  is  cus¬ 
tomary,  also,  to  bathe  here.  A  large  cemetery,  where  the 
Mohammedans  bury  their  dead,  extends  from  this  point  quite 
to  the  city  walls.  It  is  a  place  of  great  resort  for  prome- 
naders,  as  well  as  those  who  visit  as  mourners  the  tombs  of 
their  friends. 


23 


270 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


THE  NORTH  SIDE. 

Turning  now  our  steps  towards  the  east,  and  crossing  the 
Jaffa  road,  we  soon  strike  the  north-west  corner  of  the  walls, 
and  find  ourselves  on  the  north  side  of  Jerusalem.  The  sin¬ 
gle  objects  here  which  claim  attention  are  fewer  than  here¬ 
tofore.  The  ground,  for  some  distance,  is  comparatively 
open  and  level,  thickly  studded  with  olives  and  other  trees. 
Groups  of  women  and  children  may  be  seen,  at  almost  all 
hours  of  the  day,  sitting  under  these  trees,  enjoying  the 
pleasant  shade.  A  swing  attached  to  the  branches  affords 
a  favorite  amusement.  On  the  outer  edge  of  this  level 
tract,  marked  as  Scopus  on  the  maps,  Titus  pitched  his 
camp,  on  his  arrival  to  besiege  Jerusalem.  The  ruins  of 
houses  abound  here  on  every  side ;  a  proof  that  we  are 
walking  over  the  site  of  the  ancient  city.  Some  of  the 
cisterns  are  quite  perfect.  One  of  them  which  I  measured, 
not  larger  than  many  others,  was  thirty-two  feet  long,  twenty 
wide,  and  not  less  than  twenty-five  deep.  Moving  towards 
the  east,  we  soon  pass  the  Damascus  gate,  and,  at  the  dis¬ 
tance  of  two  hundred  rods,  have,  on  our  left,  the  remarkable 
tombs  of  the  kings,  so  called.  These  sepulchres  consist  of 
several  connected  chambers,  excavated  with  great  labor  out 
of  the  solid  rock,  and  ornamented  externally  with  sculptured 
flowers,  clusters  of  grapes,  and  other  devices.  It  is  the 
duty  of  the  traveler  to  turn  aside  here,  procure  a  torch,  and 
explore  these  receptacles  of  the  dead.  Shortly  beyond  here, 
we  observe  an  opening  in  the  side  of  a  rocky  ledge,  just  at 


CAVE  OF  JEREMIAH. 


271 


hand  on  our  left,  which  is  called  the  cave  of  Jeremiah.  It 
is  an  excavation,  probably  not  very  ancient,  out, of  which 
building  material  was  obtained  for  the  walls  of  Jerusalem, 
and  other  uses.  The  city  wall  on  the  right  here  consists  of 
a  mass  of  natural  rock,  seventy-five  feet  high,  with  strata  so 
exactly  corresponding  with  those  of  the  opposite  ledge  that 
the  passage  between  them  must  be  artificial.  About  midway 
in  the  line  of  the  northern  wall,  oil  the  eastern  side  of  a 
buttress,  we  pass  Herod’s  gate,  as  it  is  called,  now  walled 
up.  A  few  steps  further  on,  we  find  a  pool,  fifty  feet  long 
and  ten  wide,  supplied  with  water  from  a  contiguous  cistern. 
A  narrow  depression  in  the  ground,  parallel  to  the  wall, 
reaches  from  this  point  to  the  north-east  corner,  supposed  to 
have  been  a  trench,  or  fosse.  The  land  on  the  north  side 
begins  to  descend  towards  the  east,  as  we  approach  the  limit 
of  our  walk  in  that  direction. 

THE  CIRCUIT  FINISHED. 

We  turn  now  towards  the  south,  and  pursue  a  path  under 
the  walls  in  that  direction.  A  cut  like  a  trench  appears 
also  here.  We  have  now  the  valley  of  Jehoshaphat  on  our 
left,  and  the  northern  part  of  the  Mount  of  Olives  across 
the  valley.  The  road  over  this  summit  leads  to  the  ancient 
Anathoth  and  Bethel.  The  bank  here  is  not  very  high,  though 
it  falls  off  abruptly.  As  we  go  on  we  pass  through  another 
Mohammedan  grave-yard,  which  occupies  the  narrow  space 
between  the  walls  and  the  edge  of  the  valley.  It  will  be 
seen,  from  the  frequent  mention  made  of  sepulchres,  ancient 


272 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


or  modern,  that  they  surround  the  city,  at  a  greater  or  less 
distance,  on  every  side.  At  the  distance  of  about  one  third 
of  the  way  between  the  north  and  the  south  extremities  of 
the  eastern  wall  we  reach  again  St.  Stephen’s  gate,  where  we 
began  our  circuit. 

VIEW  FROM  THE  TOP  OF  OLIVET. 

On  the  afternoon  of  April  fourteenth,  taking  a  spy-glass 
with  me,  I  went  out  of  the  city,  and  ascended  to  the  top  of 
the  Mount  of  Olives.  The  view  of  J erusalem  and  the  sur¬ 
rounding  country  from  that  height  is  one  of  great  interest. 
Crossing  the  upper  bridge  over  the  Kedron,  I  followed  the 
middle  path  which  leads  over  the  hill,  a  little  to  the  left  of 
the  garden  of  Gethsemane.  When  about  half  way  up  the 
ascent  I  found  myself,  apparently,  off  against  the  level  of 
Jerusalem.  The  mount  is  reckoned  as  two  thousand  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  Mediterranean,  and  two  hundred  feet 
above  the  highest  part  of  the  city.  Hence,  Mark  (13,  8)  is 
perfectly  exact  when  he  represents  the  Saviour  as  being  “  over 
against  the  temple,  as  he  sat  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives  ”  and 

foretold  the  doom  of  the  devoted  city.  How  doubly  im- 

. 

pressive  do  his  words  become,  when  we  recollect  that  the 
disciples,  as  they  listened  to  them,  had  those  massive  “  build¬ 
ings  of  the  temple  ”  in  full  view  before  them,  across  the  val¬ 
ley,  of  which  they  had  just  spoken  to  him  with  so  much 
pride,  and  of  which  they  were  told  that  soon  not  “  one  stone 
would  be  left  on  another.”  One  of  the  most  touching  scenes 
connected  with  this  mount  is  that  of  David’s  escape  from 


TIIE  DEAD  SEA. 


273 


Absalom.  The  aged  king,  dethroned  by  a  favorite  son,  fol¬ 
lowed  only  by  a  few  trusty  friends,  “  went  up  the  ascent 
of  Olivet,  and  wept  as  he  went  up,  and  had  his  head  cov¬ 
ered,  and  he  went  barefoot,  and  all  the  people  that  were  with 
him  covered  every  man  his  head,  and  they  went  up,  weeping 
as  they  went  up,”  (2  Samuel  15,  30.) 

A  decayed  mosque  stands  on  the  summit,  from  the  balcony 
of  which  we  obtain  our  best  view  of  the  prospect.  Taking 
our  stand  here,  and  looking  towards  the  north-east,  we 
observe  a  blue*  line  in  the  distance,  stretching  from  north  to 
south,  which  marks  the  course  of  the  Jordan.  The  verdure 
on  the  banks  of  the  river  gives  to  it  that  appearance.  More 
directly  before  us,  as  we  face  the  east,  lies  the  Dead  Sea,  in 
its  deep  basin,  glimpses  of  which  are  seen  between  the  heads 
of  the  intervening  hills.  The  mountains  of  Moab  appear  as 
a  confused  mass  on  the  edge  of  the  horizon.  The  Saviour’s 
temptation  took  place,  in  all  probability,  in  the  wild  region 
between  us  and  the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  On  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  mount  just  below  us  is  the  little  village  of  Aza- 
riyeh,t  which  has'  usurped  the  name  of  Bethany.  Near 
there  our  Lord  took  his  departure  from  earth  to  heaven, 
(Luke  24,  50.)  The  line  of  hills,  commencing  at  Tekoa 
(Amos  1,  1),  and  extending  westward,  limits  our  view  on  the 

*  I  retain  the  epithet  which  I  wrote  at  the  time.  Dr.  Schultz,  in 
his  admirable  sketch  of  the  same  view,  represents  the  appearance  as 
“  a  green  strip  on  a  white  ground,”  (Jerusalem,  Eine  Vorlesung,  p. 
43.)  The  difference  may  be  owing  to  the  variations  of  the  atmosphere. 

f  The  Arabic  for  Lazarus. 

23* 


274 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


south.  Nearer  to  us,  within  this  line,  appears  a  solitary, 
cone-shaped  hill,  called  the  Frank  Mountain.  The  Crusaders 
are  said  to  have  maintained  a  fortress  here  for  nearly  half  a 
century  after  they  had  been  driven  from  Jerusalem.  The 
body  of  Herod  the  Great,  who  died  at  Jericho,  is  supposed 
to  have  been  entombed  here.  We  are  to  recognize  this 
mount  as  the  Beth-Haccerem,  of  which  Jeremiah  (6,  1)  says, 
•“  Blow  the  trumpet  in  Tekoa,  and  set  up  the  sign  of  fire  in 
Beth-Haccerem.”  It  is  a  signal-fire  that  is  meant,  and  such 
a  fire  blazing  there  at  night  would  be  a  striking  object, 
seen  far  and  wide.  Jerome,  who  lived  at  Bethlehem,  says 
that  he  had  Beth-Haccerem  constantly  in  view  from  that 
place.  It  was  from  the  roof  of  the  convent  at  Bethlehem 
that  the  Frank  Mountain,  so  peculiar  in  its  conformation, 
first  caught  my  eye.  About  three  miles  south  of  Jerusalem 
we  observe  a  high  ridge,  with  a  conspicuous  building  on  it, 
which  is  a  cloister,  named  Mar  Elyas,  in  honor  of  the 
prophet  Elijah.  We  see  in  that  direction  the  environs  of 
Bethlehem,  but  not  the  village  itself.  The  level  tract,  which 
lies  north  of  this  point  towards  Jerusalem,  is  the  plain  of 
Bephaim,  where  David  so  often  defeated  the  Philistines  (2 
Samuel  5,  18.  22),  and  which  Isaiah  (16,  6)  mentions  as 
noted  for  its  rich  harvests.  I  crossed  the  plain  repeatedly, 
and  can  testify  that  it  bears  still  the  same  character  in 
regard  to  fertility.  Indeed,  if  I  were  to  name  the  most 
pleasing  of  the  more  distant  views,  in  point  of  verdure  and 
cultivation,  which  the  observer  sees  from  Jerusalem,  it  would 
be  that  spread  out  before  him  as  he  stands  at  the  south- 


A  FINE  LANDSCAPE. 


275 


west  corner  of  the  city  walls,  and  looks  in  the  direction  of 
Bethlehem,  across  the  plain  of  Bephaim. 

NEBY  SAMUIL,  OR  MIZPEH. 

In  the  north-west,  about  six  miles  off,  we  observe  a  shaft¬ 
like  hill,  which  shoots  up  by  itself  to  the  height  of  some 
five  hundred  feet.  It  is  the  Mizpeh  of  Scripture,  which 
means  a  watch-tower,  just  the  name  which  such  a  place 

should  have.  The  national  assemblies  of  the  Jews  were 

•» _ 

often  held  here.  The  election  of  Saul  as  king  took  place  at 
Mizpeh.*  A  small  village  and  a  mosque  appear  on  the  sum¬ 
mit.  It  is  called  now  Neby  Samuil,  from  a  loose  tradition 
that  the  prophet  Samuel  was  buried  there.  One  of  the  most 
delightful  of  my  excursions  from  J erusalem  was  that  which 
I  made  to  this  place.  No  one  can  see  the  ruins  there,  espe¬ 
cially  the  dilapidated  reservoir,  and  have  any  doubt  that  he 
is  standing  on  Hebrew  ground.  Olivet,  the  Mosque  of  Omar, 
and  other  parts  of  Jerusalem,  are  visible  there,  bearing  south¬ 
east.  A  finer  landscape,  not  extensive,  but  fresh,  verdant, 
diversified  with  trees,  meadows  and  cultivated  fields,  is  rarely 
seen  than  the  one  which  shows  itself  on  the  north-west.  The 
Beth-IIorons,  up  to  which,  and  thence  down  again,  Joshua 
chased  the  Amorites,  while  “  the  Lord  cast  down  upon  them 
great  hail-stones  from  heaven,”  (Joshua  10,  10,  sq.),  are  not 
far  off  in  the  same  direction.  More  exactly  north,  and  in  plain 

*  For  evidence  of  the  historical  interest  of  the  place  see  Joshua  18, 
26  ;  Judges  20,  1  ;  21,  1  ;  1  Samuel  7,  5  ;  10,  17  ;  2  Kings  25  ;  22, 
sq.,  etc. 


276 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


sight,  stands  El-Jib,  upon  a  hill  of  limestone,  terraced  off  by 
nature  with  such  regularity  that  the  successive  steps  might  be 
mistaken  for  a  work  of  art.  This  El-Jib  is  the  Gibeon  which 
we  associate  with  Ajalon,  still  found  in  the  modern  Yalo,  in 
reference  to  which  Joshua  uttered  the  command,  “  Sun,  stand 
thou'  still  on  Gibeon  ;  and  thou,  Moon,  in  the  valley  of  Aja¬ 
lon.”  The  tabernacle  was  kept  here  for  a  time  during  the 
reigns  of  David  and  Solomon.  It  was  here  that  the  latter 
monarch  had  the  dream,  in  which  he  asked  only  that  God 
would  endue  him  with  wisdom,  and  was  assured  that  for  such 
moderation  in  his  desires,  he  should  be  rewarded  not  only  with 
that  gift,  but  with  riches,  honors  and  long  life,  (1  Kings  8, 4,  sq.) 
When  the  atmosphere  is  clear  the  Mediterranean  can  be  seen 
from  this  height  with  great  distinctness.  Thus  it  appears  that 
the  Dead  Sea  and  the  Western  Sea  are  both  visible  from  places 
quite  near  to  Jerusalem.  Looking  to  the  north,  either  from 
Mizpeh  or  Olivet,  the  hills  of  Samaria,  among  which  are 
Gerizim  and  Ebal,  form  the  background  of  the  view  in  that 
direction. 

THE  MOSQUE  OF  OMAR. 

We  take  our  stand  again  on  Olivet.  The  view  of  Jeru¬ 
salem  is  too  distinct  here  to  be  imposing ;  for  a  place  which 
contains  so  few  edifices  that  will  bear  inspection,  must  be 
seen  at  a  distance,  and  in  the  mass,  in  order  to  produce  the 
best  effect.  The  out-standing  dome  on  the  roofs  of  so  many 
of  the  houses  has,  at  least,  the  interest  of  novelty.  This 
-peculiarity,  as  far  as  I  recollect,  belongs  to  a  few  towns  in 
the  south  of  Palestine.  The  want  of  verdure  is  a  noticeable 


MOSQUE  DESCRIBED. 


277 


defect  in  the  appearance  of  the  city.  A  few  cypresses  and 
dwarfish  palms  are  almost  the  only  trees  to  be  seen.  The 
minarets,  which  display  often  a  graceful  figure,  are  not  dis¬ 
tinguished  here  for  beauty,  and  are  not  more  than  eight  or 
ten  in  number.  The  buildings  which  compose  the  Church  of 
the  Sepulchre  attract  attention  from  their  comparative  size 
and  elegance. 

The  most  conspicuous  object  is  the  Mosque  of  Omar; 
which,  from  its  situation  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  city,  can 
be  surveyed  here  with  great  advantage.  It  stands  near  the 
centre  of  an  enclosure  which  coincides  very  nearly  with  the 
court  of  the  ancient  temple.  It  is  built  on  a  platform,* 
four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from  east  to  west,  and  five  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty  from  north  to  south,  elevated  about  fifteen  feet, 
and  paved  in  part  with  marble.  It  is  approached  on  the 
west  side  by  three  flights  of  stairs,  on  the  north  by  two,  on 
the  south  by  two,  and  on  the  east  by  one.  The  building 
itself  is  an  octagon  of  sixty-seven  feet  on  a  side,  the  walls 
of  which  are  ornamented  externally  with  variegated  mar¬ 
bles,  arranged  in  elegant  and  intricate  patterns.  The  lower 
story  of  this  structure  is  forty-six  feet  high.  From  the 
roof  of  this  story,  at  the  distance  of  about  one  half  of  its 
diameter  from  the  outer  edge,  rises  a  wall  seventy  feet 
higher,  perforated,  towards  the  top,  with  a  series  of  low  win 
dows.  Above  this  wall  rises  a  dome  of  great  beauty,  forty 
feet  high,  surmounted  by  a  gilt  crescent.  The  entire  altitude, 

*  I  adopt  the  details  of  this  brief  description  from  Mr.  Williams’ 
Holy  City,  Vol.  n.,  p.  801,  sq. 


278 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


therefore,  including  the  platform,  is  an  hundred  and  seventy 
feet.  The  dome  is  covered  with  lead,  and  the  roof  of  the 
first  story  with  tiles  of  glazed  porcelain.  The  Mosque  has 
four  doors,  which  face  the  cardinal  points,  guarded  by  hand¬ 
some  porches.  It  derives  its  name  from  Omar,  one  of  the 
Saracen  conquerors  of  Jerusalem,  and  was  built  in  the  sev¬ 
enth  century.  The  Mohammedans  regard  it  as  their  holiest 
sanctuary  after  that  of  Mecca.  For  any  one  of  a  different 
faith  to  venture  there  would  be  treated  as  an  outrage  for 
which  nothing  but  his  life  could  atone.  The  Sultan,  they 
say  at  Jerusalem,  can  permit  a  Christian  to  go  into  the 
Mosque,  but  not  to  come  out  again.  It  happened  to  me,  in 
one  instance,  to  make  a  mistake,  and  to  be  on  the  point  of 
entering  one  of  the  forbidden  avenues.  A  company  of 
Turks,  seated  there  perhaps  to  act  as  guardians,  started  up, 
and,  with  loud  outcry  and  violent  gesticulation,  warned  me 
to  turn  back,  and  not  incur  the  consequences  of  the  inad¬ 
vertent  profanation.  A  few  foreigners  only  have  ever  gained 
admission  to  the  interior ;  among  them  the  late  Mr.  Cather- 
wood  was  the  most  successful  in  making  observations  which 
have  extended  our  knowledge  of  the  premises.  In  his  case 
the  Turkish  governor  connived  at  the  intrusion ;  and,  at  a 
critical  moment,  when  the  mob  were  about  to  tear  the 
stranger  in  pieces,  saved  him  by  giving  out  that  he  was  an 
architect  employed  to  examine  and  repair  the  Mosque.*  The 
ample  court  which  surrounds  the  edifice,  as  seen  through  the 

*  Mr.  Catherwood  has  given  a  thrilling  account  of  this  adventure 
in  a  letter  inserted  in  Bartlett’s  Walks  about  Jerusalem  (p.  14,  sq.). 


ANCIENT  AND  MODERN  CITY  CONTRASTED.  279 

telescope,  appeared  as  a  grass-plot  shaded  with  a  few  trees, 
and  intersected  with  walks.  I  could  distinguish  groups  of 
men  seated  here  and  there  on  the  ground,  and  children 
pursuing  their  pastimes. 

THE  MODERN  JERUSALEM. 

We  now  enter  the  city  for  the  purpose  of  naming  rather 
than  describing  the  objects  or  places  of  Scripture  interest 
which  the  devastations  of  time  have  spared.  The  present 
Jerusalem,  viewed  apart  from  its  history,  presents  very  little 
claim  to  our  notice.  The  population, .including  the  Jews  and 
Europeans,  is  supposed  not  to  exceed  seventeen  thousand.* 
The  houses  are  built  either  of  lime  or  of  stone ;  the  former 
are  mere  hovels ;  the  latter  are  more  substantial,  but  gen¬ 
erally  not  large,  and  without  any  pretension  to  elegance. 
The  low  windows,  guarded  with  iron  grates,  give  to  many 
of  them  a  dreary,  prison-like  appearance.  The  streets  are 
narrow  and  crooked ;  some  of  them  are  darkened,  by  means 
of  mats  or  stone  arches  thrown  over  them  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  excluding  the  heat.  The  bazaars,  in  comparison 
with  those  of  Cairo  or  Damascus,  are  few  and  poorly 
furnished.  A  few  gardens  only  occur  within  the  city ; 
though  the  ground  is  very  far  from  being  all  occupied.  In 
the  Jews’  quarter  is  a  large  tract,  partly  overrun  with  the 
Indian  fig  or  prickly-pear,  and  partly  covered  with  ruins  and 
rubbish  of  every  sort.  Bezetha,  a  hill  at  the  north  end, 
.between  the  Damascus  gate  and  St.  Stephen’s  gate,  offers 


*  Schultz,  in  his  Jerusalem,  Eine  Vorlesung,  p.  33. 


280 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


many  vacant  “  lots,”  which  might  be  cultivated  or  used  for 
the  erection  of  buildings.  In  one  place,  just  within  the  gate 
of  St.  Stephen,  on  the  right  hand,  I  noticed  two  or  three  Arab 
tents  spread  out  and  occupied  after  the  manner  of  the  desert. 
What  a  contrast  does  this  state  of  Jerusalem  offer  to  the 
ancient  city !  The  Psalmist  (122,  8.  4)  represents  a  company 
of  pilgrims,  on  entering  the  gates,  as  lifting  up  their  eyes  to 
the  scene  around  them,  and  exclaiming  with  admiration  : 

“0,  Jerusalem  !  thou  that  art  builded 
As  a  city  compacted  together, 

Whither  the  ‘tribes  go  up, 

The  tribes  of  Jehovah,  as  prescribed  to  Israel.” 

The  meaning  is  that  Jerusalem  was  built  up  in  all  its 
parts ;  and,  unlike  what  it  now  is,  had  no  unoccupied  room, 
no  waste  places.  House  adjoined  house ;  edifices  filled  the 
ample  circuit ;  Jerusalem,  the  Psalmist  would  say,  answered 
then  to  the  ideal  of  a  city. 

SITE  OF  THE  TEMPLE. 

This  is  a  part  of  the  city  concerning  which  no  doubt  can 
be  entertained.  The  present  area  of  the  great  Mosque 
corresponds  very  nearly  with  the  ground  which  the  temple 
and  its  appurtenances  occupied.  It  embraces  a  space  almost 
equal  to  one  third  of  the  city.  It  has  the  form  of  a  parallel¬ 
ogram  ;  the  longer  sides  of  which  run  from  north  to  south. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  high  wall,  which  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  city  on  the  east,  and  in  part  on  the  south ;  but  is  a 
separate  one  on  the  north  and  west  sides.  It  is  the  summit 


RESCUE  OF  PAUL. 


281 


of  the  ancient  Moriah,  which  was  cut  down  in  one  part  and 
built  up  in  another  so  as  to  furnish  a  proper  level  for  the 
erection  of  the  temple.  This,  probably,  wTas  the  mount  on 
which  Abraham  was  called  to  sacrifice  his  son,  as  a  test  of 
his  obedience  to  the  divine  will.  It  was  used  as  a  threshing- 
floor  in  the  time  of  David  (1  Chronicles  21,  15,  sq.),  and  was 
added  to  the  city  by  Solomon.  It  may  be  hoped  that  the 
time  is  near  when  the  bigotry  of  the  Maliommedans  will  be 
so  far  relaxed  as  to  allow  Christians  to  enter  and  explore  this 
hitherto  unopened  field.  Important  discoveries  await  those 
who  shall  be  the  first  to  enjoy  this  opportunity. 

CASTLE  OF  ANTONIA. 

The  site  of  the  temple  being  known,  we  are  able  to  deter¬ 
mine  that  of  the  castle,  from  the  stairs  of  which  Paul 
addressed  the  Jewish  mob  on  the  occasion  mentioned  in  Acts 
21,  34,  sq.  Josephus  speaks  of  this  castle,  which  was 
called  Antonia,  and  says  that  it  stood  near  the  north-west 
corner  of  the  temple-area,  and  was  so  high  that  some  of 
the  turrets  overlooked  the  court,  and  commanded  a  view  of 
all  that  was  done  there.  Hence,  when  the  Jews,  having 
dragged  the  apostle  out  of  the  temple,  were  seeking  to  kill 
him,  Lysias  the  chiliarch,  who  occupied  the  castle,  hastened 
down  and  rescued  him  from  the  death  which  would  otherwise 
have  been  his  fate.  The  situation  of  the  castle  must  have 
been  identical  in  part  with  that  of  the  house  used  now  as  a 
garrison  of  the  Turkish  troops  at  Jerusalem.  It  stands  near 
the  north-west  angle  of  the  court  of  the  Mosque,  and  abuts 

24 


282 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


pn  the  wall  on  that  side.  Travelers  are  allowed  to  ascend  the 
roof  of  this  house,  where  they  enjoy  their  nearest  view  of  the 
site  of  the  temple.  I  felt  with  confidence,  as  I  stood 
there,  that  my  eyes  rested  on  the  sacred  ground  where 
prophets  and  holy  men  assembled  for  so  many  generations  to 
worship  God  ;  and  especially  where  our  Lord,  whose  presence 
conferred  on  the  temple  its  greatest  glory,  performed  so  many 
miracles,  and  discoursed  to  those  who  thronged  the  sanctuary. 

POOL  OP  BETHESDA. 

Just  to  the  east  of  the  Turkish  garrison,  and  under  the 
northern  wall  of  the  Mosque,  is  a  deep  excavation,  supposed 
by  many  to  be  the  ancient  pool  of  Bethesda,  into  which 
the  sick  descended  “  after  the  troubling  of  the  water,”  and 
were  healed,  (John  5,  1,  sq.)  It  is  three  hundred  and  sixty 
feet  long,  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  wide,  and  seventy-five 
deep.  The  Evangelist  says  that  this  pool  was  near  the  sheep- 
gate,  as  the  Greek  probably  signifies,  rather  than  sheep-market, 
as  rendered  in  the  English  version.  That  gate,  according  to 
Nehemiah  3,  1,  sq.,  was  on  the  north  side  of  the  temple;  and 
hence  the  situation  of  this  reservoir  wrould  agree  with  that  of 
Bethesda.  The  present  name,  Birket  Israil,  Pool  of  Israel, 
indicates  the  opinion  of  the  native  inhabitants  in  regard  to  the 
object  of  the  excavation.  It  is  no  longer  used  as  a  reservoir  ; 
though  I  noticed  that  the  ground  was  wet  along  the  bottom 
at  the  west  end,  and  that  drops  of  water  were  trickling 
through  the  stones  of  the  wall.  It  is  lined  with  cement,  and 
constructed  in  other  respects  in  such  a  way  as  seemed  to  me 


BIRKET  EL-HUMMAN. 


283 


to  resemble  entirely  the  ancient  pools  or  tanks,  of  which  the 
traveler  finds  so  many  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Yet 
some  reject  this  view,  and  contend  that  it  was  part  of  a 
trench  or  fosse  which  protected  the  temple  on  the  north. 

POOL  OP  HEZEKIAH. 

Another  relic  of  Hebrew  times  is  a  pool  in  the  north-west 
part  of  the  city,  ascribed,  with  good  reason,  to  king  Heze- 
kiah.  It  measures  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  length,  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  breadth,  with  indications  that 
its  original  dimensions  were  greater  still.  The  style  of  the 
work  shows  that  it  is  ancient.  It  is  in  use  at  the  present  time, 
and  receives  its  supply  of  water  from  Birket  el-Mamilla,  or 
the  Upper  Gihon.  The  aqueduct  which  connects  the  two 
pools  can  still  be  traced.  We  are  informed  that  Hezekiah 
“  made  a  pool  and  a  conduit,  and  brought  water  into  the 
city,”  (2  Kings  20,  20  ;)  and,  also,  “  skipped  the  upper  water¬ 
course  of  Gihon,  and  brought  it  straight  down  to  the  west 
side  of  the  city  of  David,”  (  2  Chronicles  32,  31.)  This 
language  shows  that  Hezekiah  constructed  a  pool  in  that  part 
of  Jerusalem  where  the  present  reservoir  is  found.  The 
antiquity  of  the  work,  its  situation,  and  the  sources  from 
which  it  is  supplied,  authorize  the  conclusion  that  this  is  the 
pool  of  which  we  read  in  the  passages  above  cited.  The 
Arabic  name  is  Birket  el-Ilumman,  Pool  of  the  Bath ; 
because  the  water  is  used  in  part  for  supplying  a  bath  in  the 
vicinity. 


284 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


pilate’s  prjstorium. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know,  if  we  could,  where  Pilate 
resided  during  his  abode  at  Jerusalem ;  because  that  point 
would  fix  the  scene  of  so  many  of  the  affecting  events  which 
preceded  the  Saviour’s  crucifixion.  It  is  impossible  to  decide 
the  question  with  absolute  certainty.  It  was  customary  for 
the  Roman  governors  to  occupy  the  residences  of  the  native 
rulers  whom  they  displaced  or  succeeded ;  and  according 
to  that  practice  Pilate  would  be  likely,  during  his  visits 
at  Jerusalem,  to  take  up  his  abode  in  the  former  palace 
of  Herod  the  Great.  We  know  the  situation  of  this  palace 
from  information  which  Josephus  has  given.  The  tower 
of  David,  so  called,  just  south  of  the  Jaffa  gate,  one  of 
the  most  imposing  structures  at  Jerusalem,  occupies  the 
site  of  Herod’s  tower  of  Hippicus,  which  was  connected  at 
the  same  time  with  his  palace.  The  upper  part  of  the 
tower  is  evidently  modern ;  but  the  lower  part  exhibits  a 
different  style  of  workmanship,  and  is  undoubtedly  a  rem¬ 
nant  of  the  Hippie  tower,  which,  as  Josephus  states,  was 
spared  when  Titus  destroyed  the  city.  The  p rector ium  of 
Pilate,  therefore,*  was,  probably,  on  the  northern  side  of 
Mount  Zion,  and  off  against  the  temple-mount  on  the  east. 
In  the  court  of  that  palace,  or  in  the  street  before  it,  we 
may  think  of  the  Saviour  as  having  been  arraigned  at  the  bar 
of  Pilate,  as  mocked,  and  scourged,  and  as  having  set  forth 

*  See -Mark  15,  16.  The  word  for  prsetorium  is  rendered  “judg¬ 
ment  hall  ”  in  other  passages  ;  as,  John  18,  28  ;  19,  9,  etc. 


WHERE  THE  KINGS  WERE  BURIED. 


285 


thence,  “  bearing  his  cross,”  to  undergo  his  last  sufferings 
on  Calvary.  The  opinion  of  some  is  that  Pilate,  at  the 
time  of  the  Saviour’s  trial,  occupied  the  castle  of  Antonia. 
The  commander  of  the  Homan  troops  at  Jerusalem  had  his 
quarters  there,  as  we  learn  from  Acts  21,  31,  sq. ;  but  the 
governor  of  the  province  would  be  expected  to  occupy  a 
different  and  more  honorable  place,  in  conformity  with  his 
higher  rank. 

TOMB  OF  DAVID. 

On  the  brow  of  Mount  Zion  where  it  extends  beyond  the 
present  walls  is  a  small  mosque,  known  as  Neby  Dauid,  or 
David’s  Tomb.  It  cannot  well  be  doubted  that  this  memo¬ 
rial  marks  the  place,  or  the  vicinity  of  the  place,  where  the 
Hebrew  kings  were  buried.  That  they  were  interred  on 
Mount  Zion  is  known  with  certainty ;  for  it  is  said  of  the 
successive  kings  of  Judah  that  they  “  slept  with  their  fathers, 
and  were  buried  in  the  city  of  David,”  which  is  only  another 
expression  for  Mount  Zion.  See  1  Samuel  11,  43 ;  14,  31  ; 
15,  3,  and  other  passages.  The  notice  in  Nehemiah  3,  16,  rep¬ 
resents  the  sepulchre  of  David  as  opposite  to  a  certain  pool ; 
and  the  present  tomb  stands  exactly  off  against  the  Lower 
Gihon,  on  the  west  of  Jerusalem.  The  apostle  Peter  (Acts 
2,  29)  speaks  of  the  place  of  David’s  burial  as  a  matter  of 
general  notoriety;  “  his  sepulchre,”  he  says,  “is  with  us  unto 
this  day.”  No  reason  can  be  assigned  why  the  locality  in 
that  age  should  have  become  a  different  one  from  that  which 
Nehemiah  mentions.  Josephus  furnishes  testimony  to  the 

24* 


286 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


same  effect.  From  that  time  to  the  present,  as  often  as  we 
hear  any  Jewish  witnesses  on  the  subject,  we  find  them  con¬ 
necting  the  national  tradition  respecting  David’s  tomb  with 
this  spot.  The  Mohammedans  and  Eastern  Christians  re¬ 
gard  it  with  the  same  veneration ;  though  the  latter  view  it 
with  more  interest  because  they  claim  that  a  chamber  in  one 
of  the  adjacent  buildings  is  the  upper  room  where  the  Saviour 
kept  the  last  passover,  and  where  he  appeared  to  the  apostles 
.after  his  resurrection.* 

*  I  may  be  allowed  to  devote  one  other  paragraph  to  the  memory 
of  a  depai’ted  friend.  On  Mount  Zion,  not  far  from  David’s  tomb,  is 

a  small  cemetery,  which,  after  much  difficulty,  the  Turkish  author- 

« 

ities  granted  some  years  ago  to  the  American  missionaries,  formerly  at 
Jerusalem.  It  includes  a  few  rods  only,  is  surrounded  by  a  stone  wall 
six  or  eight  feet  high,  and  secured  by  lock  and  key.  Here,  near  the 
graves  of  two  or  three  beloved  servants  of  Christ,  who  died  in  laboring 

i 

to  revive  the  primitive  spirit  of  the  Gospel  in  the  East,  lie  the  remains 
of  the  Rev.  Nathan  W.  Fiske,  late  Professor  in  Amherst  College.  He 
went  to  Palestine  in  the  year  1847,  partly  to  gratify  his  desire  to  see 
that  land  of  wonderful  interest,  and  partly  in  the  hope  that  the  journey 
might  benefit  his  health  and  enable  him  to  resume  his  favorite  labors 
with  fresh  zeal  and  strength.  It  proved  that  he  was  journeying  to  the 
“heavenly  Jerusalem,”  as  well  as  the  earthly  ;  that  he  was  to  reach 
his  home  in  that  distant  land.  He  died  on  the  27tli  of  May,  aged  forty- 
nine,  in  the  calm  assurance  that  he  was  exchanging  earth  for  heaven. 
A  foot-path,  paved  with  stones,  commencing  at  the  gate,  divides 
the  cemetery  into  two  parts  ;  and,  on  the  right  hand,  about  half  way 
up  this  walk,  otf  against  a  spreading  olive-tree,  occurs  the  grave  of 
Professor  Fiske  ;  a  man  justly  esteemed  for  his  eminent  talents  as  well 
as  his  virtues,  whose  memory  is  warmly  cherished  by  a  wide  circle  of 


GRAVE  OF  PROFESSOR  FISKE. 


287 


ANCIENT  STONES. 

Among  the  relics  of  antiquity,  I  should  not  omit  to  speak 
of  the  stones  of  immense  size  which  occur  in  the  foundations 
of  the  walls.  They  are  found  especially  at  the  south¬ 
east  corner  of  the  city,  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  western 
wall  of  the  Mosque.  Some  of  the  largest  of  them  measure 
thirty  feet  in  length,  and  six  feet  in  thickness ;  while  many 
of  them  are  from  seventeen  to  twenty  feet  long,  and  three  or 
four  feet  thick.  Their  bevelled  edges,  their  position  and  size, 
prove  that  they  belonged  to  the  ancient  city.  No  one  can 
see  them  and  have  any  doubt  of  this  fact ;  and  it  is  not 
improbable  that  Solomon’s  workmen  placed  some  of  them 
in  the  situation  which  they  occupy  at  present.  This  state- 

friends  and  pupils.  I  had  good  reason  to  know,  from  having  stood  in 
various  relations  to  him,  how  deserving  he  was  of  such  reputation  and 
regard.  My  visit  to  his  grave  called  up  many  affecting  recollections 
of  the  past.  He  acquiesced  cheerfully  in  the  will  of  God  ;  hut  it  was 
impossible  not  to  reflect  how  many  natural  feelings  it  would  have  grati¬ 
fied  could  he  have  been  spared  to  regain  once  more  his  native  land,  and 
die  among  the  kindred  and  friends  whom  it  is  ever  a  source  of  so  much 
consolation  to  have  near  us  in  the  last  trying  scene  !  Paucioribus 
lacrimis  compositus  es,  et  novissima  in  luce  desideravere  aliquid 
oculi  tui.  A  Latin  epitaph,  setting  forth  his  character  in  just  terms, 
has  been  inscribed  on  his  tomb-stone.  It  afforded  me  a  melancholy 
pleasure  to  adopt  means  for  having  two  cypresses,  partly  grown, 
transplanted  at  the  proper  season,  and  placed  one  at  the  hehd  and 
the  other  at  the  foot  of  the  grave  on  Mount  Zion,  where  liis  body 
awaits  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 


288 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


ment  does  not  affect  the  truth  of  the  Saviour’s  declaration, 
that  “  not  one  stone  should  be  left  on  another ;  ”  for,  in  the 
first  place,  such  language  might  be  used  to  convey  only  the 
idea  of  a  general  destruction,  a  signal  overthrow;  and  in  the 
second  place,  it  was  spoken  in  fact  not  of  the  city  and  its 
walls,  but  of  the  “  buildings  of  the  temple  ;  ”  and  in  that 
application  the  language  was  fulfilled  in  the  strictest  man¬ 
ner.  « 

BRIDGE  OVER  THE  TYROPCEON. 

A  new  object  of  interest  has  been  brought  to  light  within 
a  few  years,  by  the  discovery  of  the  supposed  remains  of  an 
ancient  bridge  over  the  Tyropoeon,  the  hollow  between  Mount 
Zion  and  Mount  Moriah.  In  the  western  wall  of  the  Mosque 
of  Omar  three  or  four  courses  of  stone,  built  into  the  wall, 
jut  out  a  little  from  it,  as  if  forming  the  spring  of  an  arch  ; 
and,  as  Josephus  speaks  of  a  bridge  which  led  from  the  tem¬ 
ple  on  Moriah  to  the  Xystus  on  Mount  Zion,  it  occurred  to 
Dr.  Robinson,  on  observing  the  projection  of  these  stones, 
that  the  bridge  in  question  may  have  spanned  the  Tyropoeon 
at  this  point.  The  upper  tier  of  stones  connected  with  this 
apparent  arch,  extends  fifty  feet  along  the  face  of  the  wall, 
and  the  largest  of  the  single  stones  vary  in  length  from 
twenty  to  twenty-five  feet.  The  valley  has  evidently  been 
filled  up  to  some  extent,  and  no  doubt  other  stones  of  a  sim¬ 
ilar  formation  exist  in  the  part  of  the  wall  sunk  beneath  the 
present  level  of  the  ground.  Though  the  suggestion  as  to 
the  identity  of  these  stones  with  the  bridge  which  Josephus 
mentions,  has  been  denied  or  questioned  by  some,  I  may  be 


Solomon’s  temple. 


289 


allowed  to  say  that  repeated  inspection  of  the  place  con¬ 
vinced  me  that  it  is  well  founded ;  no  other  theory  accounts 
in  a  satisfactory  way  at  all  for  the  singular  appearance 
which  the  wall  presents.  The  bridge,- since  it  existed  in  the 
time  of  Pompey,  about  63  b.  c.,  could  not  have  been  one  of 
the  works  which  Ilerod  the  Great  added  to  the  temple,  so 
much  adorned  and  enlarged  by  his  labors!  “  The  magnitude 
of  the  stones  and  the  workmanship,  as  compared  with  other 
remaining  monuments  of  Ilerod,  seem  to  point  to  an  earlier 
origin.  The  former  temple  wras  destroyed  by  fire,  which 
would  not  affect  these  foundations  ;  nor  is  it  probable  that  a 
feeble  colony  of  returning  exiles  could  have  accomplished 
works  like  these.  There  seems,  therefore,  little  room  for 
hesitation  in  referring  them  back  to  the  days  of  Solomon, 
or  rather  his  successors,  who,  according  to  Josephus,  ‘built 
up  here  immense  walls  immovable  for  all  time.’  Ages  upon 
ages  have  since  rolled  away ;  yet  these  foundations  still 
endure,  and  are  immovable  as  at  the  beginning.”*  What 
distant  points  of  time  does  this  fragment  of  an  arch  bind 
together  !  How  deeply  interesting  to  look  upon  a  ruin 
which  represents  so  remote  a  past ! 

THE  HOLY  SEPULCHRE. 

Not  to  disappoint  a  possible  expectation  of  the  reader,  in 
this  account  of  the  objects  of  sacred  interest  at  Jerusalem,  it 
becomes  me  to  say  a  few  words  respecting  the  Holy  Sepul¬ 
chre,  so  called.  A  church,  it  is  well  known,  stands  over  the 

*  Biblical  Researches,  vol.  i.,  p.  427. 


290 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


reputed  tomb  in  which  the  body  of  the  Saviour  was  placed, 
and  from  which  he  rose  again  to  life.  The  present  church 
was  built  in  1808,  in  the  place  of  a  more  ancient  one  de¬ 
stroyed  by  fire.  Some  monument  of  this  kind  has  marked 
the  spot  ever  since  the  time  of  Helena,  about  326  a.  i>.,  and 
perhaps  earlier  still.  The  question,  whether  it  is  the  genuine 
site  or  not,  has  been  as  strongly  affirmed  by  some  as  it  has 
been  denied  by  others,  and  must  be  confessed  to  be  not  free 
from  difficulty.  Even  Protestant  writers,  of  the  first  rank  as 
antiquaries  and  .scholars,  array  themselves  on  opposite  sides 
of  the  question.  It  is  urged  against  the  genuineness  of  the 
sepulchre  that  it  occurs  within  the  limits  of  the  present  city; 
whereas  the  Evangelists  say  expressly  that  the  Saviour  was 
crucified  out  of  the  city,  and  was  buried  near  the  place  where 
he  was  crucified  (John  19,  41).  It  is  replied  to  this  that  the 
first  and  second  walls  of  the  ancient  city*  followed  a  differ¬ 
ent  course  from  the  present  walls,  and  hence  that  the  alleged 

Calvary  in  the  north-west  section  of  Jerusalem  could  have 

* 

been  beyond  the  gates.  It  might  be  thought  possible  to  find 
traces  of  the  old  walls,  showing  how  they  ran,  and  thus  clear¬ 
ing  up  the  point  in  dispute  ;  but  it  so  happens  that  both 
parties  find,  or  imagine  that  they  find,  such  traces,  and  so 
bring  forward  from  this  source  ocular  proof  in  confirmation 
of  their  respective  theories.  Nor  is  the  appeal  to  Josephus 
allowed  to  be  at  all  more  decisive ;  for,  though  he  speaks  at 
some  length  of  the  situation  and  direction  of  the  walls,  he 

*  See  on  page  219.  The  third  wall  does  not  come  into  question 
here,  because  it  was  not  built  until  after  the  time  of  Christ. 


TRADITIONAL  ARGUMENT. 


291 


employs  terms  not  wholly  devoid  of  ambiguity,  and  is  quoted, 
therefore,  according  to  the  construction  put  upon  his  lan¬ 
guage,  as  good  authority  on  both  sides. 

A  spirit  of  candor  should  concede,  as  it  seems  to  me, 
that  the  argument  from  tradition  may  be  urged  with  very 
great  effect.  It  appears  improbable,  when  viewed  in  the 
abstract,  that  the  knowledge  of  so  interesting  a  place  as  that 
of  the  Saviour’s  burial  should  ever  have  been  lost ;  and 
further,  the  actual  testimony  which  supports  the  claim  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre  mounts  back  to  an  early  age,  and  comes 
from  manifold  sources.  It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  the 
dispute  on  this  subject  relates  to  the  place  where  the  Church 
of  the  Sepulchre  stands,  and  not  to  the  tomb  shown  to  trav¬ 
elers  at  the  present  time ;  for  this  tomb  is  above  ground,  on 
the  floor  of  the  church,  is  constructed  of  marble,  and  alto¬ 
gether  modern  in  its  style.  It  can  be  claimed  only  that  the 
tomb  now  seen  has  been  built  over  the  original  one,  which  is 
either  still  in  existence,  but  concealed  from  view  (as  some 
contend),  or  else  was  destroyed  long  ago  by  the  enemies  of 
Christianity. 

A  fact  which  is  apt  to  impress  strongly  the  minds  of  ob¬ 
servers  on  the  spot,  is  the  apparent  impossibility  that  the 
present  site  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  could  have  been  beyond 
the  walls  of  the  city  in  the  time  of  the  Saviour.  It  is  diffi¬ 
cult  to  see  how  Jerusalem  could  have  been  so  large  as  all 
the  transmitted  information  would  lead  us  to  infer,  unless  it 
included  the  north-west  portion  of  the  modern  city  ;  for  that 
is  almost  the  only  quarter  left  in  which  the  walls,  as  they 


292 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


now  stand,  could  be  extended,  without  encountering  natural 
obstructions  which  it  would  be  difficult  to  surmount.  I 
make  no  pretension  to  having  examined  this  question  on  his¬ 
torical  or  topographical  grounds ;  but  I  must  say  that  the 
fact  just  stated  struck  me  as  so  irreconcilable  with  the  sup¬ 
position  that  the  so-called  sepulchre  can  be  the  true  one, 
that  I  am  compelled  to  share  the  scepticism  of  those  who 
reject  that  belief.  The  situation  of  Golgotha  or  Calvary, 
where  the  cross  was  reared,  must  be  equally  uncertain.  It 
was  probably  a  slight  eminence,  as  the  name  (skull,  headland) 
would  seem  to  indicate,  and  as  we  know,  from  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  was  not  far  from  the  garden  which  contained  the  tomb. 

This  conclusion  may  not  be  the  one  which  the  feelings  of 
many  persons  would  lead  them  to  desire  ;  but  no  doubt  it 
has  been  wisely  ordered,  on  the  whole,  that  we  are  left  in 
such  ignorance  respecting  the  identical  spots  where  the  Sa¬ 
viour  was  crucified  and  buried.  There  are  two  sufficient 
reasons,  it  has  been  well  remarked, #why  this  obscurity  should 
rest  on  such  places.  “  If  they  were  known,  there  might  be 
no  end  to  the  superstitious  reverence  which  would  be  felt  for 
them,  no  limit  to  the  pilgrimages  which  Protestant  Christen¬ 
dom  would  make  thither.  An  interest  would  have  been 
imparted  to  holy  places,  which  belongs  to  holy  things ;  a 
local  Saviour  would  have  been  sought ;  Judea  wrnuld  have 
remained  the  glory  of  all  lands,  in  a  sense  inconsistent  with 
that  religion  which  was  to  be  universal,  and  a  kind  of  sanc¬ 
tion  would  have  been  given  to  an  abuse,  which  is  now  flagrant 
and  most  melancholy.” 

*  Professor  Edwards  in  his  Writings  and  Memoir,  vol.  i.,  p.  390. 


SPIRITUAL  IDEAS. 


293 


Another  reason  is,  that  in  reading  the  gospels,  “  moral 
painting,  spiritual  ideas  absorb  our  attention.  The  local, 
the  typical,  the  visible,  have  passed  away.  It  is  with 
thoughts,  feelings,  invisible  realities,  that  we  are  concerned. 
It  is  the  character  of  our  Redeemer  that  we  must  try  to 
unlock.  It  is  the  spiritual  significance  of  his  actions  which 
should  engage  our  closest  attention.  It  is  the  miracle  itself, 
not  the  place  where  it  was  performed  ;  it  is  the  suffering 
itself  and  the  meek  patience  with  which  it  was  endured,  not 
the  instruments  with  which  it  was  inflicted,  that  should 
affect  our  deepest  sensibilities.” 

25 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


SKETCHES  OF  PARTICULAR  PLACES. 

The  proposed  limits  of  the  present  work  allow  me  to 
insert  only  a  few  additional  statements  relating  chiefly  to 
places  which  are  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament,  and  im¬ 
portant,  therefore,  as  illustrating  the  personal  history  of  the 
Redeemer.  The  notices  are  miscellaneous  in  their  character, 
though  it  happens  that  most  of  them  are  derived  from  mem¬ 
oranda  of  my  journey  in  Galilee,  the  principal  theatre  of 
the  events  which  make  up  the  narrative  of  the  Evangelists. 
It  may  be  expedient,  conducive,  perhaps,  to  the  interest  of 
the  account,  if  I  speak  of  the  places  which  it  is  proposed  to 
mention,  in  connection  with  some  of  the  circumstances  which 
attended  my  visit  to  them. 


BETHLEHEM. 

Next  to  Jerusalem  certainly  no  two  places  have  a  stronger 
hold  on  the  imagination  and  feelings  of  most  readers  of  the 
Bible,  than  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth;  the  former,  as  asso¬ 
ciated  with  the  great  mystery  of  the  incarnation  of  the  Son 
of  God;  the  latter,  as  the  home  in  which  he  dwelt  during  the 


BATHING  IN  THE  DEAD  SEA 


295 


greater  part  of  his  earthly  existence.  I  visited  Bethlehem 
on  two  occasions ;  once  on  my  return  from  an  excursion  to 


BETHLEHEM. 


the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea,*  and  again  on  my  return  from 
a  tour  to  the  south  of  J udea,  extended  to  Ilebron,  Tekoa 

*  For  the  want  of  a  better  place,  I  may  mention  here  a  fact  of  suffi¬ 
cient  geographical  interest  to  deserve  to  be  recorded.  On  arriving  at 
the  Dead  Sea,  we  all,  of  course,  made  trial  of  the  buoyancy  of  the 
waters  ;  and  two  of  the  company,  more  adventurous  than  the  rest, 
continued  to  bathe  in  them  for  three  quarters  of  an  hour  ;  one  of  them 
complaining  afterwards  of  some  unpleasant  sensations  that  hung  about 
nim  for  a  time,  but  otherwise  experiencing  no  injury.  A  rocky  islet 


296 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


and  the  Frank  mountain.  My  first  view  of  the  place  "was 
from  the  east,  on  coming  out  of  the  desert  which  borders  on 
the  valley  of  the  Jordan.  It  appeared  here  as  a  walled 
town  on  the  summit  of  a  rugged  hill,  overlooking  a  valley 
which  descends  steeply  toward  the  north  and  the  east,  the 
other  sides  of  the  hill  not  being  seen  distinctly  from  this 
direction.  The  general  aspect  of  the  region  was  richer,  more 
attractive,  than  I  had  supposed.  The  slope  on  the  north-east 
presented  a  thick  array  of  fig-trees  and  olives,  especially  the 
former.  On  the  outer  edge  of  the  valley  we  passed  a  tract 
of  some  extent,  unenclosed,  after  the  fashion  of  the  country,  a 
part  of  which  had  recently  been  ploughed  up  for  a  new  crop, 
and  a  part  was  planted  with  wheat  and  barley,  the  latter 
requiring  but  a  short  time  (it  was  the  first  week  in  April)  to 

lay  off  the  shore,  distant  some  sixty  or  eighty  rods.  The  individuals 
referred  to,  deceived  as  to  the  distance,  undertook  to  swim  to  the 
island,  and,  by  exerting  their  utmost  strength,  accomplished  the  feat. 
On  returning  they  struck  for  the  shore  at  a  different  point  ;  and,  for¬ 
tunately  for  them  in  their  exhausted  state,  found  the  water  so  shallow 
as  to  be  able  to  wade  almost  the  whole  way.  Some  writers  have 
denied  or  doubted  the  existence  of  an  island  at  the  north  end  of 
the  Dead  Sea  ;  while  others  speak  of  having  seen  a  small  peninsula 
stretching  out  from  this  point  of  the  coast.  The  explanation  of  the 
two  statements  undoubtedly  is,  that  the  isthmus  of  this  peninsula  is 
occasionally  submerged,  so  that  the  extremity  of  it  appears  as  an 
island.  This  was  the  case,  as  I  have  every  reason  to  believe,  at  the 
time  when  I  was  there  (April  7tli);  and  the  shallow  soundings  which 
enabled  my  friends  to  wade  ashore,  marked  the  line  of  the  isthmus, 
then  under  water. 


TIME  OF  BARLEY-HARVEST. 


297 


come  to  maturity.  This  was  the  season,  therefore,  “  the 
beginning  of  the  barley  harvest,”  when  Naomi  with  her 
daughter-in-law  arrived  at  Bethlehem  from  the  land  of 
Moab  ;  and  here  were  the  fields,  still  cultivated  in  the  same 
manner,  in  which  Buth  gleaned  after  the  reapers  of  Boaz. 
Another  pleasing  incident  was,  that  we  met  on  the  way  shep¬ 
herds  leading  out  their  flocks  to  the  neighboring  hills ;  re¬ 
minding  us  of  David,  who  spent  his  youth  here  in  the  same 
employment,  and  perhaps  indited  here  the  Psalm  (23),  “The 
Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want ;  ”  and  especially  lead¬ 
ing  us  to  think  of  those  “  who  kept  watch  here  over  their 
flocks  by  night,”  and  heard  from  the  angels  the  announce¬ 
ment  that  the  long-expected  Deliverer  was  born  into  the 
world. 

Further  on,  nearer  to  the  town,  a  different  mode  of  cultiva¬ 
tion  appeared ;  the  fields  gave  place  to  orchards  and  gardens, 
surrounded  by  walls  and  furnished  with  watch-towers,  so 
much  the  more  necessary  just  here,  because  the  people  are  so 
exposed  to  the  predatory  incursions  of  the  Arabs  from  the 
adjacent  desert.  Two  weeks  after  this,  I  approached  Bethle¬ 
hem  from  the  south.  The  hill  on  this  side  is  boldly  abrupt, 
seeming  to  consist  of  solid  rock ;  the  valley,  also,  is  broader, 
and  though  not  destitute  of  fruit-trees,  is  planted  chiefly 
with  vines,  which  were  among  the  most  flourishing  that  I 
saw' in  any  part  of  the  country.  We  mounted  up  the  steep 
ascent  by  a'well  traveled  path.  It  was  a  day  of  intense 
heat  (April  21st) ;  I  was  burning  with  thirst,  and  nothing 
could  be  more  delightful  or  welcome,  than  the  sight  of  a 

25* 


298 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


little  stream  coursing  down  the  hill-side  ;  it  came  from  a 
reservoir  on  the  height  above,  which  is  supplied  with  water 
from  Solomon’s  pools.  A  scene  in  David’s  life  came  vividly 
before  me.  “  0,  that  one  would  give  me  drink  of  the  water 
of  the  well  of  Bethlehem,  that  is  at  the  gate!”  exclaimed  the 
fugitive  in  the  wilderness,  as,  parched  with  thirst,  under  the 
burning  heat  of  some  noonday,  he  looked  towards  that  same 
hill,  and  thought  of  the  cooling  fountains  of  his  native  village 
(1  Chronicles  11,  17). 

I  love  to  recall  to  mind  another  view  of  Bethlehem,  from  a 
different  point  still ;  it  is  one  that  occurs  on  the  height  near 
the  convent  of  Mar  Elyas,  about  midway  between  the  ever- 
memorable  places  where  the  Saviour  was  born  and  where  he 
died,  —  ihe  only  spot-  on  this  road  where  the  traveler  em¬ 
braces  them  both  within  his  scope  of  view  at  the  same  time  ; 
for  the  ridge  which  we  cross  here  causes  the  one  to  disap¬ 
pear  almost  at  the  very  moment  that  it  brings  the  other  into 
sight.  Bethlehem  before  us  in  one  direction,  Jerusalem  in 
the  other,  as  we  look  now  to  the  south  and  now  to  the  north, 
—  on  what  spectacle  could  we  fix  our  eyes,  awaking  thoughts 
of  such  varied  interest,  appealing  so  strongly  to  our  religious 
sensibilities  !  It  may  have  been  precisely  here,  if  we  may 
assume  that  the  night  was  unclouded,  that  the  Magians 
whom  Herod  sent  to  “  search  for  the  young  child,”  obtained 
their  first  view  of  Bethlehem  ;  and  it  may  have  been  here, 
therefore,  that  the  star,  which  they  would  need  to  indicate 
the  place  of  the  Messiah’s  birth,  reappeared  to  them,  after 
its  temporary  absence  ;  such,  at  all  events,  is  the  legend ;  — 


CHURCH  OF  TIIE  NATIVITY. 


299 


and  it  may  have  caught  up  the  truth  in  this  instance,  if  it 
has  not  transmitted  it  to  us.  Bethlehem,  as  looked  back 
upon  from  this  mid-way  station,  seemed  to  consist  of  two 
villages,  since  a  slight  depression  separates  the  east  and  west 
ends  of  the  town  from  each  other.  The  Church  of  the  Nativ¬ 
ity  and  the  convents  form  one  cluster  of  edifices  on  the  left, 
and  the  dwellings  of  the  bulk  of  the  inhabitants  form  another 
on  the  right.  A  few  straggling  houses,  also,  are  seen  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  on  the  east. 

On  entering  the  town,  I  paid  the  customary  tribute  of  a 
visit  to  the  traditional  places.  The  Church  of  the  Nativity 
is  erected  over  a  natural  grotto,  alleged,  in  defiance  of  all 
probability  (though  some  maintain  the  contrary),  to  be  the 
manger  of  the  inn  where  the  Saviour  was  born.  Numerous 
lamps  are  suspended  from  the  roof,  which,  being  kept  burning 
day  and  night,  and  sparkling  with  the  lustre  reflected  from 
so  many  polished  surfaces,  surprise  and  almost  dazzle  the  be¬ 
holder.  I  looked  in  vain  for  the  “  silver  star,”  a  symbol  of 
the  one  which  “  stood  over  where  the  young  child  was,”  which 
travelers  mention  as  affixed  to  the  place  where  Christ  is  said 
to  have  been  born  ;  it  had  been  recently  torn  up  in  a  squabble 
between  the  Latin  and'Oreek  Christians,  who  are  always  con¬ 
tending  with  each  other  about  points  of  etiquette  and  prece¬ 
dence  in  the  use  of  the  holy  places.  There  are  other  caves 
at  Bethlehem  which  have  been  associated  with  other  events. 
One  of  them  is  where  it  is  said  that  the  Virgin  was  concealed 
during  Herod’s  persecution  and  massacre  ;  another,  where  the 
slaughtered  children  were  buried ;  another,  where  the  holy 


300 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Jerome  lived  and  translated  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  into 
Latin.  Not  to  neglect  any  place  which  has  been  honored 
with  such  pretensions,  whether  well  founded  or  not,  we  rode 
to  the  Field  of  the  Shepherds,  distant  about  a  mile  to  the  east 
of  the  town.  It  may  not  have  been  just  there,  but  certainly 
was  on  those  plains  which  we  passed,  that  the  “glad  tidings 
of  great  joy,  —  peace  on  earth  and  good  will  towards  men,” 
were  first  published  to  our  race.  But  I  derived  most  satis¬ 
faction  from  ascending  the  roof  of  the  Francisan  convent, 
which  affords  an  excellent  view  of  the  region.  The  general 
aspect  of  the  country  was  that  of  undulating  hills  and  val- 
leys,  not  unpleasing,  but  destitute  of  much  of  the  charm  aris¬ 
ing  from  the  presence  of  trees  and  verdure.  Among  the  re¬ 
moter  objects  of  interest,  was  the  Dead  Sea  to  the  east ;  and 
on  the  south,  Beth-IIaccarem  or  the  Frank  Mountain,  and  the 
hill  of  Tekoa,  where,  as  I  found  on  a  subsequent  excursion 
thither,  “herdsmen”  still  pitch  their  tents  (Tekoa  signifies  a 
place  of  that  kind)  as  in  days  of  old.  Jerome,  in  his  commen¬ 
tary  on  Amos  (1, 1),  says  that  he  had  the  prophet’s  birthplace 
before  his  eyes  as  he  wrote.  The  eye  rested,  also,  on  the 
bleak  wilderness  of  Engedi,  and  the  heights  about  Hebron. 

NAZARETH. 

I  was  anxious,  on  leaving  Jerusalem,  Wednesday,  April 
28th,  to  distribute  the  intermediate  time  so  as  to  spend  the 
next  Sabbath  at  Nazareth.  Though  it  is  not  easy  always  to 
regulate  the  stages  of  such  a  journey  in  conformity  with  a 
definite  plan,  my  desire  in  this  instance  was  gratified.  A 


SITUATION  OF  NAZARETH. 


301 


leisurely  ride  of  three  days  and  a  half  through  the  heart  of 
the  ancient  land  of  Israel  (though  the  ground  may  be  trav- 


NAZARETU. 

0 

ersed  with  despatch  in  a  single  day),  with  the  opportunity 
of  an  occasional  detour  to  such  places  as  Gophna,  Shilo  and 
Samaria,  brought  me,  on  the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  May  first, 
to  the  secluded  valley  where  the  Redeemer  lived  so  long  in 
obscurity,  before  his  entrance  on  his  public  wrork.  My  first 
sight  of  the  humble  village,  as  can  be  readily  imagined, 
formed  one  of  the  great  moments  of  the  journey.  Nazareth 
is  situated  just  north  of  the  great  plain  of  Esdraelon,  among 
the  lovely  hills  at  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Lebanon 


302 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


mountains.  It  is  hidden  from  view  till  you  look  down  upon 
it  from  the  adjacent  heights.  It  lies  along  the  western  edge 
of  a  ravine,  which,  narrow  for  the  most  part,  flows  in  a  wav¬ 
ing  line  through  the  mountains,  enlarging  itself  somewhat  in 
front  of  the  town,  and  falling  into  the  great  plain  on  the 
south-east.  The  present  Nazareth  belongs  to  the  better  class 
of  eastern  villages  ;  it  has  a  population  of  nearly  three  thou¬ 
sand,  a  few  of  them  Mohammedans,  but  most  of  them  Chris¬ 
tians  of  the  Latin  and  Greek  order.  The  houses  are  well 
built  of  stone ;  there  is  one  mosque,  a  Latin  convent  of 
stately  dimensions,  though  displaying  no  great  beauty,  a 
small  Maronite  church,  a  Greek  church,  and  perhaps  a 
church  or  chapel  of  some  of  the  other  confessions. 

We  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  Latin  convent,  which 
opens  its  doors  freely  to  all  travelers  who  bear  the  Christian 
name.  Daring  a  part  of  the  Sabbath  I  attended  worship  in 
the  chapel  of  a  missionary,  recently  established  at  Nazareth, 
under  the  direction  of  the  London  Jews’  Society.  Some 
twelve  or  fifteen  persons  were  present,  two  or  three  of  them 
females.  They  were  seeeders  from  the  Latin  and  Greek 
communities,  and  as  yet  Protestants  only  in  name.  'The 
service  was  in  Arabic,  and  consisted  entirely  of  the  reading 
of  a  portion  of  the  Scriptures,  and  of  prayers.  The  monks 
of  the  convent  were  said  to  be  very  hostile  to  this  mission  ; 
a  few  weeks  before  my  visit,  they  had  broken  open  the 
chapel,  seized  the  missionary,  and  inflicted  on  him  personal 
violence.  The  affair  vras  undergoing  investigation,  at  that 
time,  by  the  British  consul  at  Beirut.  The  missionary’s 


SEASONS  UNCHANGED. 


303 


imperfect  knowledge  of  the  language  was  the  reason  (as  I 
understood)  why  he  gave  no  direct  religious  instruction. 

LATTER  RAIN. 

It  had  rained  during  the  previous  night,  and,  about  noon, 
rained  again  quite  freely ;  the  streets  of  Nazareth  were  full  of 
mud  and  mire,  so  as  to  be  almost  impassable.  This  was  the 
last  time  (May  second)  that  it  rained  during  my  stay  in  Pal¬ 
estine,  and  may  be  considered  as  marking  the  usual  limit  of 
the  “  latter  rain,”  though  showers  may  sometimes  occur  after 
this,  or  may  have  ceased  altogether  a  week  or  two  earlier. 
That  the  latter  rain  has  continued  longer,  or  has  increased 
in  amount  within  a  few  years  past,  though  it  has  been  as¬ 
serted  by  some,  is  a  statement  that  rests,  as  far  as  I  could 
ascertain,  upon  no  sufficient  foundation.  There  is  no  proof 
of  anything  beyond  an  occasional  irregularity  ;  the  seasons 
there  are  liable  to  fluctuate  from  year  to  year,  in  regard  to 
the  lateness  and  abundance  of  the  rains,  as  they  do  in  other 
lands  ;  but  no  facts  have  been  observed  which  indicate  at  all 
the  introduction  of  a  new  law  in  regard  to  the  character  of 
the  seasons.  Some  of  those  who  hold  to  the  literal  restora¬ 
tion  of  the  Jews  to  the  promised  land,  have  appealed  to  such 
a  supposed  change  as  favoring  that  view :  they  would  infer 
from  it  that  Providence  is  about  to  remove  one  of  the  great 
obstacles  to  the  fertility  of  Palestine,  and  thus  prepare  the 
way  for  its  becoming  the  abode  of  a  vastly  augmented  popu¬ 
lation.  This  bearing  of  the  subject  is  my  "apology  for  taking 
notice  of  it  here. 


304 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Behind  the  Maronite  church  is  a  steep  precipice,  forty  or 
fifty  feet  high,  “  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  ;  ”  the  very  one,  it 
may  be,  over  which  the  people  of  Nazareth  attempted  to 
thrust  the  Saviour,  on  the  Sabbath  when  they  took  such 
offence  at  his  preaching  in  the  synagogue.  See  Luke  4,  28, 
scp.  I  observed  other  rocky  ledges,  on  other  parts  of  the 
hill,  so  precipitous  that  a  person  could  not  be  thrown  over 
them  without  almost  certain  destruction.  A  worthless  tradi¬ 
tion  has  transferred  this  event  to  a  hill  about  two  miles  to 
the  south-east  of  the  town.  But  there  is  no  evidence  that 
Nazareth  ever  occupied  a  different  site  from  the  present  one; 
and  that  a  mob  so  exasperated,  whose  object  was  to  put  to 
death  the  object  of  their  rage,  should  have  repaired  to  so 
distant  a  place  for  that  purpose,  is  entirely  incredible. 

ASCENT  OF  MOUNT  TABOR. 

Monday,  May  third,  was  allotted  to  an  excursion  to  Mount 
Tabor.  Before  starting,  however,  I  ascended  the  hill  in  the 
rear  of  Nazareth,  on  which  stands  a  tomb  of  Neby  Ismail, 
from  which  the  observer  beholds  one  of  the  grandest  pano¬ 
ramic  scenes  to  be  found  in  that  country  or  any  other.  To 
give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the  interest  and  grandeur  of  the 
spectacle,  I  need  only  enumerate  some  of  the  objects  within 
sight  as  one  looks  abroad  from  this  hill.  Among  them  are 
the  summits  of  Tabor,  Gilboa,  Carmel,  Hermon,  the  moun¬ 
tains  of  Samaria,  Gilead,  Lebanon,  the  bay  of  Akka,  glimpses 
of  the  Mediterranean,  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  a  number 
of  villages,  some  of  them  bearing  still  the  names  applied  to 


SINGULAR  OAKS. 


305 


them  in  the  Bible.  One  of  the  towns,  which  I  made  out 
distinctly  with  a  glass,  was  the  modern  Acre,  the  Ptolemais 
of  the  New  Testament,  though  it  has  been  said  to  be  hidden 
by  the  intervening  hills  ;  at  the  distance  of  a  few  rods  on 
the  south-west  of  the  Welee,  I  could  distinguish  it  with 
the  naked  eye. 

The  region  of  Tabor  was  not  deemed  entirely  safe,  and  it 
was  thought  best  to  add  to  our  company  an  armed  horseman. 
We  started  from  Nazareth  at  nine  o’clock,  a.  m.  Our 
course  lay  nearly  due  east.  We  passed  the  Fountain  of  the 
Virgin  near  the  Greek  church,  where  the  water-carriers 
were  busy  as  ever  at  their  daily  task.*  The  ride  to  the  foot 
of  the  mount  occupied  an  hour  and  three  quarters,  making 
the  distance  six  or  eight  miles.  Some  travelers  make  the 
time  longer  ;  but  we  had  no  baggage,  and  moved  at  a  quick 
step.  The  intervening  tract  presented  a  succession  of  hills 
and  valleys,  and,  during  the  latter  part  of  the  way,  was 
thickly  studded  with  oaks,  diminutive  in  size,  but  peculiar 
in  throwing  out  branches  almost  from  the  roots,  and  having 
leaves  of  a  very  dark  green.  A  narrow  ridge  connects  Tabor 
with  the  hills  of  Nazareth  on  the  west,  but  on  every  other 
side  it  rises  abruptly  from  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  and  its 
symmetrical  form  makes  it  conspicuous  at  a  great  distance, 
and  invests  it  with  singular  beauty.  It  took  us  three  quar¬ 
ters  of  an  hour  to  reach  the  summit ;  its  estimated  height  is 
about  a  thousand  feet.  The  path  was  circuitous,  and  at  times 
steep,  but  not  so  much  so  as  to  oblige  us  to  dispense  with 

*  See  the  description  on  pages  91  and  92. 

26 


306 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


the  use  of  our  horses.  The  sides  of  the  mount  are  for  the 
most  part  so  densely  covered  with  trees  and  bushes,  as  to 
intercept  the  prospect ;  but  now  and  then  we  came  out  upon 
a  clear  spot  as  we  ascended,  which  revealed  a  magnificent 
view  of  the  adjacent  plain. 

HERMITS  ON  TAEOR. 

On  coming  to  the  top  we  were  surprised  at  the  sudden 
apparition  of  four  men,  who  came  forward  from  a  recess 
among  the  ruins  existing  there.  Oddly  enough,  two  of  them 
had  knitting- work  in  their  hands,  which  they  were  diligently 
plying.  One  of  them  proved  to  be  a  Greek  priest,  a  man 
of  huge  stature,  and  over  eighty  years  old,  who  had  come 
there,  as  he  said,  to  spend  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He 
was  a  native  of  Wallachia,  and,  according  to  his  own  account, 
instead  of  having  applied  himself  to  any  stated  parochial 
cure,  had  spent  much  of  his  time  in  traveling  from  one  coun¬ 
try  to  another.  In  addition  to  his  journey  into  the  East,  he 
said  that  he  had  visited  the  principal  capitals  of  Europe ; 
naming  among  them  Vienna,  Rome,  Paris  and  London.  He 
professed  to  be  expecting  the  visible  advent  of  Christ  from 
day  to  day ;  though,  on  being  questioned  as  to  this  point,  he 
admitted  that  he  was  by  no  means  confident  that  it  would 
occur  within  his  life-time.  He  showed  me  a  copy  of  the 
Vulgate,  well  thumbed ;  an  ability  to  read  Latin  being  an 
easy  acquisition  for  a  person  born  in  Wallachia,  in  as  much 
as  the  spoken  language  of  that  province  is  a  corrupt  form  of 
the  Latin  inherited  from  the  ancient  Romans.  He  said  that 


MODE  OF  LIVING. 


307 


I 

it  was  two  years  (if  my  memory  serves  me)  since  he  had 
betaken  himself  to  this  retreat,  and  that  he  had  not  left  the 
mountain  during  that  time.  In  answer  to  my  inquiry  how  he 
subsisted,  he  said  that  he  lived  chiefly  on  herbs,  cultivated  a 
small  garden  for  the  purpose  of  raising  them,  and  relied,  for 
whatever  else  he  might  need,  on  the  Arabs,  who,  as  his  mod¬ 
esty  allowed  him  to  inform  us,  regarded  him  as  a  great  saint. 
He  said  that  the  natives  at  first  were  disposed  to  annoy  him, 
stole  his  fruit,  and  refused  to  bring  him  supplies  ;  but  that 
one  of  them  having  been  smitten  with  blindness  as  a  punish¬ 
ment  for  this  behavior,  they  became  alarmed,  confessed  their 
sin,  and  after  .that  treated  him  kindly.  He  stated  this  with 
entire  gravity  ;  and  added  further,  that  a  lock  of  his  hair, 
or  any  other  object  blessed  by  him,  and  carried  to  the  sick, 
had  proved  again  and  again  the  means  of  their  immediate 
recovery.  I  was  really  puzzled  to  tell  whether  he  had  de¬ 
ceived  himself,  or  expected  to  impose  on  us.  The  other 
three  men  were  natives  of  the  same  province.  Two  of  them, 
having  been  to  Jerusalem  and  the  Jordan  on  a  pilgrimage, 
had  taken  Tabor  in  their  way  on  their  return  homeward ; 
where  finding  unexpectedly  the  priest,  whom  they  happened 
to  know,  they  concluded  to  remain  with  him  for  a  time. 
One  of  them  was  deliberating  whether  he  should  not  take  up 
his  permanent  abode  there.  The  fourth  person  was  a  young 
man,  a  relative  of  the  priest,  who  seemed  to  have  taken  on 
himself  the  filial  office  of  caring  for  hi$  aged  friend  in  the 
last  extremity. 

The  top  of  Tabor  presents  an  uneven  platform,  making  a 


308 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


circuit  of  half  an  hour’s  walk.  Most  of  this  space  is  filled 
with  a  confused  heap  of  ruins,  chiefly  the  remains  of  fortifi¬ 
cations  built  in  the  time  of  the  crusaders.  A  few  of  the 
stones  are  thought  to  bear  marks  of  a  Hebrew  origin.  The 
most  perfect  relic  is  a  Saracenic  arch,  known  as  the  Tower 
of  the  Winds.  Some  of  the  ruins  belonged  evidently  to  mon¬ 
asteries  and  churches.  The  Latin  Christians  have  now  an 
altar  here,  at  which  their  priests  from  Nazareth  perform  an 
annual  mass.  The  Greeks,  also,  have  a  chapel,  where,  on 
certain  festivals,  they  assemble  for  the  performance  of  relig¬ 
ious  rites.  I  strolled  about  the  hill,  alone  and  unarmed, 
peering  into  every  nook  and  corner,  threading  my  way 
through  the  tall  grass  and  tangled  thickets,  without  being 
aware  that  I  was  running  any  risk  in  so  doing ;  though  I 
have  since  read,  with  some  horror,  that  wolves,  wild  boars, 
lynxes,  and  various  reptiles,  lurk  there,  and  are  liable  at 
any  time  to  show  themselves  to  the  intruder,  and  perhaps 
endanger  his  safety. 

THE  TRANSFIGURATION. 

In  sermons  and  popular  works,  Tabor  is  often  represented 
as  the  undoubted  scene  of  the  Saviour’s  transfiguration.  It 
may  be  well  to  correct  here  that  misapprehension.  It  is  sus¬ 
ceptible  of  proof,  from  history,  that  a  fortress  or  town  existed 
on  Tabor  from  very  early  times  down  to  50  or  53  b.  c.  ;  and, 
as  Josephus  says  that  he  strengthened  the  fortifications  of  a 
city  there,  about  60  A.  d.,  it  is  morally  certain  that  Tabor 
must  have  been  inhabited  during  the  intervening  period,  that 


SIGHT  OF  TIIE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


309 


is,  in  the  days  of  Christ.  This,  therefore,  could  not  have 
been  the  mount  of  Transfiguration  ;  for  when  it  is  said  that 
Jesus  took  his  disciples  “up  into  a  high  mountain  apart,  and 
was  transfigured  before  them”  (Matthew  17,  1),  we  must 
understand  that  he  brought  them  to  a  secluded,  solitary 
place,  where  they  were  alone  by  themselves.  It  is  impossi¬ 
ble  to  say  certainly  where  this  wonderful  event  wras  trans¬ 
acted  ;  it  may  have  been,  judging  from  some  obscure  intima¬ 
tions  in  the  New  Testament,  a  little  further  north,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Mount  Hermon. 

THE  rROSPECT  FROM  TABOR. 

It  enables  one  to  acquire  a  useful  idea  of  the  extent  of  the 

Holy  Land,  and  of  the  relative  situation  of  different  places, 

\  ** 
to  stand,  in  reality  or  in  imagination,  on  an  eminence  like 

this  of  Tabor,  and  there  fix  in  mind  the  principal  geographi¬ 
cal  points  which  lie  within  view,  or  which  he  is  led  to  asso¬ 
ciate  with  the  scene  before  him.  The  Sea  of  Tiberias,  repos¬ 
ing  in  its  deep  bed,  is  distinctly  seen  from  Tabor  on  the 
east,  distant  not  less  than  fifteen  miles.  The  moment  when 
I  first  saw  its  waters,  flashing  on  the  sight  through  the  clear 
atmosphere,  can  never  be  forgotten.  In  the  same  direction 
the  eye  traces  the  course  of  the  Jordan  for  many  miles; 
while,  still  further  east,  it  rests  upon  a  boundless  perspective 
of  hills  and  valleys,  embracing  the  modern  Hauran,  the 
ancient  Gilead  and  Bashan.  The  dark  line  which  skirts  the 
horizon  on  the  west  is  the  Mediterranean  ;  the  rich  plains  of 

Galilee  fill  up  the  intermediate  space  as  far  as  the  foot  of 

26* 


310 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Tabor.  Carmel  lifts  its  head  in  the  north-west.  On  the 
north  we  behold  the  last  ranges  of  Lebanon,  as  they  rise  into 
the  hills  about  Safet,  overtopped  in  the  rear  by  the  snow¬ 
capped  Herrnon,  and,  still  nearer  to  us,  the  Horns  of  Hattin, 
the  reputed  mount  of  the  Beatitudes.  On  the  south  are  seen, 
first  the  summits  of  Gilboa,  and  then  the  mountains  and  val¬ 
leys  of  Ephraim,  along  which  the  mind  glances  till  it  soon 
reaches  Zion  and  Moriah.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Jordan  I 
observed  a  rising  cloud  of  smoke  ;  it  enabled  me,  on  the 
information  of  the  guide,  to  identify  the  site  of  Beisan  (itself 
not  visible),  the  ancient  Bethshean,  on  whose  walls  the  Phil¬ 
istines  hung  up  the  head  of  Saul  after  the  slaughter  on 
Gilboa.  Looking  across  a  branch  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon 
to  an  opposite  ridge,  I  beheld  Endor,  the  abode  of  the  sor¬ 
ceress  whom  the  king  consulted  on  the  night  before  his  fatal 
battle.  Another  little  village  clings  to  the  same  hill-side,  on 
which  I  gazed  with  still  deeper  interest ;  it  is  Nain,  beyond 
question  the  village  of  that  name  in  the  New  Testament, 
where  the  Saviour  touched  the  bier,  and  restored  to  life  the 
widow’s  son.  Such  are  some  of  the  natural  objects,  in  them¬ 
selves  so  pleasing  and  grand,  and  suggestive  of  so  many  reflec¬ 
tions,  which  one  beholds  from  this  remarkable  height.  I  can 
say,  unaffectedly,  that  I  thank  God  for  having  been  permitted 
to  stand  on  such  a  spot,  and  survey  with  my  own  eyes  the 
scene  sketched  above  in  so  imperfect  a  manner. 


A  VESTURE  OF  SILVER. 


311 


A  VIEW  OF  HERMON. 

On  Tuesday,  May  fourth,  I  left  Nazareth,  at  nine  o’clock 
a.  M.,  for  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.  At  the  distance  of  half  an 
hour,  we  rose  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  which  gave  us  our  parting 
view  of  the  early  home  of  the  Saviour.  The  village  showed 
itself  here  under  some  new  aspects.  It  could  be  seen  from 
end  to  end,  as  it  lay  stretched  along  the  side  and  foot  of  the 
hill.  A  larger  sweep  of  the  valley  which  runs  past  it  was 
brought  into  view.  The  sudden  expansion  of  the  valley  in 
front  of  the  town  appeared  to  better  advantage  than  any¬ 
where  else.  But  this  height  remains  fixed  in  my  memory 
chiefly  for  another  reason  :  it  was  there  that  I  enjoyed  my 
grandest  view  of  Jebel  esh-Sheikh,  the  lofty  Hermon  of  the 
Scriptures.  The  sight  was  wholly  unexpected.  The  moun¬ 
tain  was  concealed  one  moment,  and  the  next,  on  ascending  a 
few  steps  higher,  stood  arrayed  before  me  with  an  imposing 
effect,  which  I  cannot  easily  describe.  I  saw  this  mountain 
from  different  points  of  view,  but  never  when  it  impressed 
me  as  then  and  there.  It  rose  immensely  above  every  sur¬ 
rounding  object.  The  purity  of  the  atmosphere  caused  it  to 
appear  near,  though  it  was  in  reality  many  miles  distant. 
The  snow  on  its  head  and  sides  sparkled  under  the  rays  of 
the  sun,  as  if  it  had  been  robed  in  a  vesture  of  silver.  In 
my  mind’s  eye,  at  that  moment,  it  had  none  of  the  appearance 
of  an  inert  mass  of  earth  and  rock,  but  glowed  with  life  and 
animation.  Tt  stood  there,  athwart  my  path  as  it  were,  like 
a  mighty  giant  rearing  his  head  toward  heaven,  and  swelling 


312 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


with  the  proud  consciousness  of  strength  and  majesty.  I  felt 
how  natural  was  the  Psalmist’s  personification  ;  his  language 
springs  spontaneously  to  the  lips  :  “  The  north  and  the  south, 
thou  hast  created  them  :  Tabor  and  Hermon  rejoice  in  thy 
name”  (Psalm  89,  12). 

THE  FIRST  MIRACLE  OF  CHRIST. 

About  two  hours  from  Nazareth  we  descended  into  a  basin 
among  the  hills,  where  is  a  little  village  called  Kama,  sup¬ 
posed  generally  to  be  the  place  where  the  Saviour  performed 
his  first  miracle,  that  of  turning  the  water  into  wine.  Just 
out  of  the  town,  on  the  west,  are  two  or  three  watering- 
places,  supplied  from  a  fountain  a  few  paces  to  the  south. 
The  water  is  brought  to  the  reservoir  through  a  subterra¬ 
nean  passage.  A  number  of  females  were  there,  some  filling 
their  jars,  others  washing  and  beating  out  clothes  with  their 
clubs.  A  little  to  the  left  of  this  spot  was  a  plantation  of 
olives,  fig-trees  and  pomegranates,  extending  quite  to  the 
village ;  there  were  more  of  these  last  named  trees  than  I 
saw  together  in  any  other  place;  and,  being  then  in  blossom, 
the  gorgeous  flower  gave  to  them  a  splendid  appearance.  A 
Greek  church  stands  at  the  entrance  of  the  town,  deriving  its 
special  sanctity,  as  I  understood,  from  its  being  supposed  to 
occupy  the  site  of  the  house  in  which  the  marriage  was  cele¬ 
brated,  to  which  Jesus  and  his  friends  were  invited.  A  priest 
soon  arrived,  in  obedience  to  our  call,  and  unlocked  the  doors 
of  the  church.  It  is  a.  low  stone  building,  wrretchedly  neg¬ 
lected  and  out  of  repair.  The  walls  are  defaced  with  the 


CANA  OF  GALILEE. 


$13 


names  of  visitors,  and  scribbled  over  in  various  languages. 
There  is  another  Kana,  just  about  as  far  from  Nazareth  tow¬ 
ards  the  north  (this  one  is  north-east),  which  some  prefer  to 
regard  as  the  Cana  of  the  New  Testament.  No  doubt  one 
of  the  two  was  the  scene  of  the  interesting  ceremony  re¬ 
ferred  to ;  it  would  be  difficult  to  decide  the  question  of  their 
respective  claims. 

MOUNT  OF  THE  BEATITUDES. 

Pursuing  still  the  road  from  Nazareth  to  Tiberias,  not  far 
beyond  Lubieh,  we  came  to  a  well,  surrounded  by  a  high 
curb-stone,  where  a  company  of  Jews  were  halting  to  obtain 
water  for  themselves  and  their  animals.  At  this  point,  the 
hill  known  as  Kurun  Hattin,  the  Horns  of  Hattin,  was  at  a 
short  distance  off  to  the  left.  This  is  pointed  out  as  the 
mount  on  which  the  Saviour  delivered  the  discourse  recorded 
at  such  length  by  Matthew  (5,  1,  sq.).  Though  the  noontide 
heat  was  beating  down  upon  us  with  scorching  power,  I  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  to  turn  aside  and  examine  a  place 
for  which  such  a  claim  has  been  set  up,  though  I  cannot  say 
that  I  have  any  great  confidence  in  it.  If  it  was  not  on  this 
mount,  however,  it  was  on  some  mount  in  the  vicinity,  that 
our  Lord  uttered  the  discourse  in  question  ;  for  the  sacred 
narrative  implies  that  he  was  on  the  west  side  of  the  Lake 
of  Tiberias  at  that  time.  The  hill  referred  to  is  rocky,  and 
rises  steeply  to  a  moderate  height  above  the  plain.  It  has 
two  summits,  with  a  slight  depression  between  them,  and  it  is 
from  these  projecting  points,  or  horns,  that  it  receives  the 


314 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


name  given  to  it.  From  the  top,  the  observer  has  a  full  view 
of  the  Sea  of  Tiberias.  The  most  pleasing  feature  of  the 
landscape  is  that  presented  in  the  diversified  appearance  of 
the  fields.  The  different  plots  of  ground  exhibit  various 
colors,  according  to  the  state  of  cultivation  :  some  of  them 
are  red,  where  the  land  has  been  newly  ploughed  up,  the 
natural  appearance  of  the  soil ;  others  yellow  or  white, 
where  the  harvest  is  beginning  to  ripen,  or  is  already  ripe ; 
and  others  green,  being  covered  with  grass  or  springing  grain. 
As  they  are  contiguous  to  each  other,  or  intermixed,  these 
parti-colored  plots  present  at  some  distance  an  appearance 
of  gay  checkered  work,  which  is  really  beautiful. 

In  rhetorical  descriptions  of  the  delivery  of  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount,  we  often  hear  the  people  represented  as  looking 
up  to  the  speaker  from  the  sides  of  the  hill,  or  listening  to 
him  from  the  plain.  This  would  not  be  possible  with  refer¬ 
ence  to  the  present  locality ;  for  it  is  too  precipitous  and  too 
elevated  to  allow  of  such  a  position.  The  Saviour  could  have 
sat  there,  however,  in  the  midst  of  his  hearers;  for  it  affords 
a  platform  amply  large  enough  for  the  accommodation  of  the 
hundreds  who  may  have  been  present  on  that  occasion. 

DESCENT  TO  TIBERIAS. 

We  crossed  the  plain  of  Hattin  so  as  to  regain  the  road  to 
Tiberias,  about  two  miles  west  of  the  commencing  descent  to 
the  shores  of  the  lake.  It  seemed,  from  the  brow  of  the  hill 
there,  as  if  one  could  almost  throw  a  stone  into  the  water ; 
but  the  distance  proved  to  be  very  deceptive.  It  must  have 


THE  ANCIENT  HAMM  ATI!. 


315 


been  at  least  a  mile  and  a  half  to  the  town  of  Tiberias,  to 
which  we  now  descended.  The  road  was  steep  and  winding, 
and,  in  our  impatience  after  so  fatiguing  a  jaunt,  seemed  to 
lengthen  itself  out  as  if  it  would  never  end.  Writers  differ 
as  to  the  depression  of  this  sea  below  the  level  of  the  Medi¬ 
terranean.  The  estimate  of  the  English  engineer,  Lieutenant 
Symonds,  makes  it  three  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet. 

THE  IIOT  BATHS. 

Not  stopping  now  at  Tiberias,  we  passed  along  the  shore, 
about  a  mile  to  the  south,  and  encamped  near  the  hot  springs 
which  are  found  there.  The  fame  of  these  springs  reached 
the  ears  even  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans.  Pliny  enumerates 
them  among  the  great  natural  curiosities  of  the  world.  Jo¬ 
sephus  mentions  them  under  the  name  of  Ammaus,  no  doubt 
(as  both  the  similarity  and  the  signification  of  the  terms  indi¬ 
cate)  the  Hammath  of  the  Hebrews.  They  existed,  there¬ 
fore,  as  long  ago,  at  least,  as  the  age  of  Moses  and  Joshua  ; 
for  the  above  name  occurs  in  Joshua  19,  35.  The  place  on 
our  arrival  was  alive  with  a  crowd  of  people,  Jews  and 
Arabs,  who  had  come  hither,  some  to  try  the  medicinal  virtue 
of  the  waters,  and  others  for  traffic  or  amusement.  For  the 
convenience  of  bathers,  two  covered  buildings  have  been 
erected,  into  which  the  water  of  the  springs  is  conveyed. 
The  larger  one  of  these  contains  a  capacious  reservoir,  in 
which  I  found  some  fifteen  or  twenty  persons  swimming  at 
once.  Very  few  of  them,  judging  from  their  merry  shouts, 
and  the  vigor  with  which  they  exercised  their  natatorial 


316 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


powers,  could  have  been  invalids,  whose  case  had  become  as 
yet  desperate.  The  room  was  so  full  of  vapor  and  heat, 
merely  from  the  effect  of  the  water  in  its  natural  state,  that 
it  seemed  for  the  moment  as  if  my  breath  would  be  taken 
from  me,  and,  after  a  hasty  glance  at  the  premises,  I  was 
glad  to  emerge  again  into  the  open  air.  Accommodations 
exist  for  taking  a  bath  in  a  more  private  manner. 

The  springs  issue  from  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  hills, 
near  the  shore,  and  flow  into  the  lake,  which  they  render 
brackish  for  a  certain  distance.  I  put  my  thermometer  into 
the  water,  but  it  was  useless  as  a  means  of  ascertaining  the  . 
heat ;  the  quicksilver  flew  instantly  to  the  top  of  the  tube. 

I  then  put  my  hand  into  it,  but  was  obliged  to  withdraw  it 
as  quickly ;  the  water  proved  to  be  little  less  than  scalding 
hot.  It  is  necessary  to  allow  it  to  stand  for  some  twelve 
hours  before  it  can  be  applied  to  the  body.  Richardson,  a 
physician,  judged  that  the  temperature  was  as  high  as  one 
hundred  degrees,  even  after  such  delay. 

It  was  easy  to  forego  the  doubtful  pleasure  of  bathing  in 
such  an  element ;  but  it  was  not  easy  to  resist  the  tempta¬ 
tion  of  resorting  to  the  lake  for  that  purpose.  Near  the  spot 
to  which  I  retired  were  two  or  three  clusters  of  oleander, 
just  then  in  full  blossom,  and  displaying  the  perfection  of  its 
beauty.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  observed  that 
flower ;  though  after  this  it  was  rarely  out  of  sight  for  a 
single  day  during  the  remainder  of  the  journey. 


THE  FULL- ORBED  MOON. 


317 


A  NIGHT-SCENE. 

My  tent  was  pitched  for  the  night  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
water’s  edge.  There  I  sat  for  hours,  looking  forth  upon  the 
peaceful  lake,  and  revolving  the  thoughts  which  would  natu¬ 
rally  fill  one’s  mind  in  such  a  situation.  A  gentle  ripple  was 
breaking  at  my  feet  with  a  noise  hardly  perceptible.  Soon 
the  full-orbed  moon  showed  itself  over  the  hills  of  Gilead, 
and,  mounting  higher  and  higher,  hung  at  length  over  the 
sea,  from  which  its  broad  disk  was  reflected  back  as  from  the' 
surface  of  a  mirror.  The  Saviour  often  crossed  and  recrossed 
this  lake.  His  sacred  feet  pressed  its  shores  ;  here  he  stood,, 
and  discoursed  to  the  listening  multitudes ;  here  he  per¬ 
formed  many  of  his  mightiest  works.  The  surrounding  hills 
heard  his  midnight  prayers.  His  voice  quelled  the  tempest 
which  threw  into  such  commotion  these  waters,  now  so  peace¬ 
ful.  Most  of  his  disciples  had  their  homes  in  this  neighbor¬ 
hood.  Here  they  pursued  their  daily  avocations  till  he  called 
them  to  their  great  mission.  It  was  at  the  Sea  of  Tiberias 
that  he  showed  himself  to  them  on  one  occasion  after  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead.  I  need  not  attempt  to  describe 
the  feelings  which  such  recollections  awaken  on  the  spot 
which  they  consecrate.  The  scene  was  so  exciting,  that, 
though  I  had  been  riding  hard  through  the  day,  and  some¬ 
times  had  been  so  wearied  as  to  be  compelled  to  dismount 
and  snatch  a  moment’s  repose  under  a  tree,  or  “  in  the  shad¬ 
ow  of  a  great  rock,”  yet  all  sense  of  weariness  was  now  gone ; 
the  hour  of  midnight  was  past  before  I  thought  of  rest,,  or  felt 
the  need  of  it. 


27 


318 


SCMFTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


APPEARANCE  OP  THE  LAKE. 

This  lake  is  about  fifteen  miles  long,  and,  on  the  average, 
half  as  broad.  The  eye  surveys  the  whole  expanse  of  it 
from  almost  any  point  on  the  west  side,  except  a  small  part 
towards  the  south,  where  a  projection  of  the  shore  shuts  out 
the  view.  It  abounds  still  in  fish,  of  the  same  kind  that  are 
found  in  the  Nile.  Though  in  the  days  of  the  Saviour  so 
many  boats  ploughed  its  waters  (John  6,  23),  but  one  single 
solitary  craft  has  been  seen  there  for  many  years ;  and  of 
the  populous  villages  which  once  existed  in  that  region,  all 
have  now  disappeared  except  two  or  three.  A  circle  of  hills 
surrounds  the  lake,  on  the  south  and  east  shores,  as  high  as 
eight  hundred  or  a  thousand  feet ;  at  the  north-east  corner 
only  the  land  rises  more  gradually,  and  is  comparatively 
open.  The  character  of  the  scenery  has  impressed  travelers 
somewhat  differently  ;  and  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  his¬ 
torical  associations  are  liable  to  warp  our  judgment.  For 
myself,  I  cannot  hesitate  to  say  that  the  appearance  of  the 
lake,  reposing  so  quietly  in  its  deep  bed,  the  frame-work  of 
hills  which  encase  it  on  almost  every  side,  the  steep  preci¬ 
pices  coming  down  in  some  places  so  boldly  to  the  shore,  the 
cloudless  sky  above,  having  its  every  hue  and  variation  re¬ 
flected  back  from  the  watery  mirror  beneath,  formed  in  my 
eye  a, combination  of  landscape  beauty  equal,  to  say  the 
least,  to  any  other  which  it  has  been  my  privilege  to  see  in 
any  land. 


STILLING  OF  THE  TEMPEST. 


319 


STORMS  ON  THE  LAKE. 

During  all  the  time  that  I  was  near  the  lake,  the  water 
was  entirely  tranquil.  At  the  north  end,  where  the  Jordan 
flows  into  it,  a  slight  agitation  appeared,  for  a  short  distance, 
but  otherwise  hardly  a  ripple  disturbed  the  surface.  Indeed, 
in  looking  down  upon  the  water  from  a  height  of  two  or 
three  hundred  feet,  it  seemed  as  if  we  were  looking  into  vacu¬ 
ity  itself.  A  boat  floating  on  the  bosom  of  the  lake  would 
have  appeared  as  if  hanging  in  mid-air. 

But  though  the  sea  was  so  quiet  at  that  time,  it  is  still 
subject  to  sudden  gusts  of  wind,  which  sweep  down  through 
the  gorges  of  the  mountains,  and  in  a  few  moments  produce 
a  violent  tempest.  So  it  was  in  the  case  of  the  storm  which 
the  Saviour  allayed  with  a  word.  It  was  calm  when  he  and 
the  disciples  embarked  to  cross  from  the  western  to  the  east¬ 
ern  side;  ere  they  had  proceeded  far,  a  wind  arose,  “the 
waves  beat  into  the  boat,”  the  cry  is  heard,  “  Lord,  save  us, 
we  perish;  ”  and  nothing  but  a  miracle,  from  him  who  con¬ 
trols  the  elements,  saved  them  from  instant  destruction. 
Deferring  to  this  peculiarity  of  the  sea,  an  Arabian  poet 
says  :  “  When  the  winds  lash  it,  you  would  think  you  saw 
two  armies,  one  in  flight,  the  other  in  pursuit.” 

Few  travelers  have  happened  to  be  present  during  the 
occurrence  of  one  of  these  storms.  Mr.  Bartlett,  author  of 
“  Footsteps  of  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles,”  was  one  of  this 
fortunate  number.  “  After  sunset,”  he  says,  “  I  strolled 
down  to  the  lake,  and,  seating  myself  upon  a  mass  of  broken 
wall,  enjoyed  the  freshness  of  the  evening.  All  the  day 


320 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


there  had  not  been  a  breath  of  air,  the  sultry  heat  had  been 
that  of  a  furnace ;  but  now  a  cool  breeze  came  off  the  table¬ 
land,  and,  rushing  down  the  ravines  that  descend  to  the  lake, 

began  to  ruffle  its  placid  bosom.  As  it  grew  darker,  the 

^  * 

breeze  increased  to  a  gale,  the  lake  became  a  sheet  of  foam, 
and  the  white-headed  breakers  dashed  proudly  on  the  rugged 
beach  ;  its  gentle  murmur  was  now  changed  into  the  wild 
and  mournful  sound  of  the  whistling  wind  and  the  agitated 
waters.  Afar  off  was  dimly  seen  a  little  barque  struggling 
with  the  waves,  and  then  lost  sight  of  amidst  the  misty  rack. 
To  have  thus  seen  so  striking  an  exemplification  of  the  scrip¬ 
ture  narrative,  was  as  interesting  as  it  was  unexpected.” 

PLAIN  OF  GENNESARET. 

We  broke  up  our  tents  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  at  half 
past  nine,  a.  m.,  May  fifth,  and  set  forward  for  Safet.  We 
reached  the  town  of  Tiberias  in  twenty-five  minutes.  The 
broken  columns  and  other  ruins,  scattered  along  the  way, 
show  that  the  ancient  city  was  much  more  extensive  than  its 
modern  successor.  Though  the  Sea  of  Tiberias  is  mentioned 
so  often  in  the  New  Testament,  the  town  which  gave  to  it 
that  name  is  mentioned  but  once,  namely,  in  John  6,  28. 
In  an  hour  from  Tiberias  we  came  to  Mejdel,  a  paltry  village 
near  where  a  line  of  high  rocks  overhangs  the  sea.  In  Mat¬ 
thew  15,  39,  we  read  that  Jesus,  “having  sent  away  the 
multitude,  entered  into  a  ship  and  came  to  the  coasts  of 
Magdala.”  Here,  beyond  question,  stood  that  town,  which 
gave  name  also  to  the  adjacent  region.  It  is  remarkable 


GIGANTIC  OLEANDERS. 


321 


that  the  part  of  the  plain  nearest  to  this  place  (Schubert 
mentions  the  fact)  is  now  called  Ard  el-Mejdel,  field  or  coast 
of  Mejdel.  This  was  the  birth-place,  also,  of  Mary  Magda¬ 
lene.  Beyond  here  the  path  began  to  descend,  and  soon 
brought  us  to  a  broad  plain,  well  watered  and  fertile.  It 
lies  between  the  hills  which  come  down  from  the  west  and 
the  north  end  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  on  the  east.  In  forty 
minutes  from  Mejdel,  we  crossed  a  copious  stream,  hastening 
with  its  tribute  to  that  sea.  Here  and  there  were  trees  and 
bushes  so  thick  as  to  form  a  sort  of  grove.  A  few  acres 
were  planted  with  grain,  but  the  greater  part  was  given  up 
to  a  wild,  luxuriant  vegetation.  Few  travelers  fail  to  speak 
of  the  gigantic  oleanders  which  flourish  here  in  great  profu¬ 
sion.  This  is  the  “land  of  Gennesaret”  (Matthew  14,  34), 
whence  the  lake,  also,  was  called  the  “  Lake  of  Gennesaret  ” 
(Luke  5,  1).  A  pile  of  ruins  occurs  in  this  vicinity,  which 
some  would  identify  as  the  site  of  Capernaum  ;  but  the  mat¬ 
ter  is  involved  still  in  much  uncertainty.  Chorazin  and 
Bethsaida,  smaller  villages,  are  supposed  to  have  stood  be¬ 
tween  Magdala  and  Capernaum.  The  “woe”  which  our 
Lord  pronounced  on  these  cities,  which  so  abused  their  privi¬ 
leges,  would  almost  seem  to  have  been  so  literally  executed, 
that  every  certain  trace  of  them  has  been  swept  away. 

THE  RIVER  KISIION. 

The  event  which  signalized  May  eighth  was  the  ascent  of 
Mount  Carmel.  Having  spent  the  previous  night  on  the 
northern  border  of  the  plain  of  Akka,  we  crossed  that  plain 

27* 


322 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


in  a  diagonal  direction,  and  came  out  on  the  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean,  just  north  of  the  mouth  of  El-Mukata,  the 
modern  name  of  the  Kishon.  This  river  rises  near  the  foot 
of  Tabor,  and,  after  flowing  for  several  miles  through  the 
plain  of  Esdraelon  and  of  Akka,  falls  into  the  sea  at  the  north¬ 
ern  base  of  Carmel.  It  was  easily  forded  at  the  mouth,  being 
partially  filled  up  with  sand  from  the  sea,  though,  at  the  dis¬ 
tance  of  a  few  rods  inland,  it  was  so  wide  and  deep  as  to 
•defy  any  such  attempt.  The  natives,  of  whom  we  had  in¬ 
quired  the  way,  told  us  that  we  must  strike  the  river  near 
its  mouth,  as  otherwise  we  should  find  it  impassable.  The 
water  was  brackish  where  we  crossed,  in  consequence  of  the 
vicinity  of  the  sea,  though  not  so  much  so  that  our  thirsty 
animals  were  not  willing  to  drink  of  it.  The  Kishon  is  well 
known,  from  the  allusion  made  to  it  in  the  song  of  Deborah 
^nd  Barak  (Judges  5,  19,  sq.)  : 

“  The  kings  came,  they  fought. 

Then  fought  the  kings  of  Canaan, 

By  Taanach,  on  the  waters  of  Megiddo. 

They  fought  from  heaven. 

The  stars  from  their  courses  fought  with  Sisera. 

The  river  Kishon  swept  them  away, 

That  ancient  river,  the  river  Kishon.” 

The  expression  that  "  the  stars  of  heaven  fought  ”  for  the 
Israelites,  means  probably  that  the  heavens,  or  elements  of 
nature,  fought  for  them  ;  that  a  storm  of  thunder,  rain  and 
hail,  accompanied  the  battle,  and  contributed  to-  the  defeat 
of  the  Canaanites.  Taanach  and  Megiddo  seem  to  be  men- 


PRIESTS  OF  BAAL. 


323 


tioned  in  order  to  point  out  the  places  where  the  routed 
forces  of  Sisera  attempted  to  cross  the  swollen  torrent,  and 
were  swept  away.  The  stream  is  small  throughout  most  of 
its  course,  after  a  drought  hardly  traceable  in  some  places ; 
but  it  may  be  suddenly  increased  by  the  rain,  and  is  then 
amply  large  enough  to  occasion  a  disaster  like  that  which 
befell  the  Canaanites.  The  same  thing  has  occurred  there 
again  in  recent  times.  Some  of  the  Turkish  troops,  whom 
Napoleon  defeated  in  the  battle  of  Tabor,  lost  their  lives  in  a 
similar  attempt  to  cross  the  treacherous  flood. 

It  was  on  the  banks  of  this  stream,  probably  not  far  from 
its  entrance  into  the  sea,  where  I  passed,  that  Elijah  slew 
the  prophets  of  Baal.  The  contest  between  him  and  those 
idolaters  had  taken  place  on  Carmel ;  and  from  thence,  it  is 
said,  he  “  brought  them  down  to  the  brook  Kislion,  and  slew 
them  there  ”  (1  Kings  18,  40).  Scenes  like  that  of  the  wor¬ 
shippers  of  Baal,  calling  for  hours  on  the  name  of  their  god, 
leaping  on  the  altar,  “  cutting  themselves  with  knives  till  the 
blood  gushed  out,”  are  still  common  among  the  Mohamme¬ 
dans.  The  spirit  of  the  old  idolatry  lives  still  in  the  fanatical 
followers  of  the  prophet.  At  Cairo,  Bemleh,  and  Constanti¬ 
nople,  I  witnessed  exhibitions  which  bordered  closely  on  such 
revolting  extravagances. 

MONASTERY  OF  THE  CARMELITES. 

Just  beyond  Haifa,  a  small  Arab  town  on  the  south  of  the 
nay  of  Akka,  we  began  to  climb  the  ascent  to  Carmel.  Sev¬ 
eral  vessels  and  a  great  many  boats  were  lying  at  anchor  off 


324 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


against  the  town.  The  harbor  is  much  better  than  that  of 
Akka,  being  sheltered  by  Carmel,  and  more  free  from  reefs. 
The  fish-nets,  hung  upon  the  walls  to  dry,  showed  from  what 
source  the  people  gained  in  part  their  livelihood.  The  path 
leading  up  the  mountain  is  rocky  and  steep,  but  so  well  worn 
that  we  could  ride  the  whole  way.  This  path,  indented  in 
the  white  limestone,  had  been  distinctly  visible,  like  a  strip 
of  snow,  from  the  Welee,  behind  Nazareth.  It  took  us 
twenty  minutes  to  arrive  at  the  summit.  The  height  is  said 
to  be  ten  or  twelve  hundred  feet.  The  Carmelite  monks,  at 
present  fifteen  in  number,  have  a  monastery  here,  unques¬ 
tionably  the  finest  edifice  of  its  kind  in  all  the  East.  They 
affect  the  ascetic  rigor  of  their  prototype,  Elijah  the  Tishbite. 
They  wear  no  shoes  but  sandals  ;  they  abstain  from  meat, 
though,  as  I  can  testify,  they  offer  to  the  weary,  grateful 
traveler  other  viands,  which  cause  him  to  forget  the  want  of 
that  particular  article.  The  rooms  set  apart  for  the  use  of 
strangers  are  very  commodious.  As  compared  with  eastern 
houses,  generally,  our  reception  here  reminded  us  of  a  hotel 
in  Europe  or  America.  The  chapel  has  altogether  a  modern 
air.  The  altar  is  erected  over  a  natural  grotto,  said  to  have 
been  one  of  the  abodes  of  Elijah,  and  held,  therefore,  to  be 
specially  sacred.  The  good  brother  who  had  me  in  charge 
set  forth  its  claims  to  veneration  with  much  pathos,  but 
made  no  objection  to  procuring  a  hammer,  and  helping  me 
chip  off  a  liberal  piece  of  the  hard  rock  as  a  souvenir.  This 
mount  abounds  in  natural  caverns ;  and  hence,  Amos  (9,  3), 
when  he  sneaks  of  the  futile  attempt  of  the  wicked  to  escape 


A  FAMOUS  CASTLE. 


325 


from  coming  retribution,  says  that  “  though  they  hide  them¬ 
selves  in  the  top  of  Carmel,  Jehovah  will  search  and  take 
them  out  thence.” 


THE  VIEW  FROM  CARMEL. 

.  The  best  position  for  viewing  the  prospect  from  Carmel  is 
that  furnished  from  the  flat  roof  of  the  convent.  Standing 
here,  with  my  face  toward  the  east,  the  attitude  of  the  He¬ 
brew  in  naming  the  points  of  the  compass,  I  had  behind  me, 
of  course,  “  the  great  wide  sea,”  as  the  Psalmist  calls  it, 
which  suggested  to  the  sacred  writers  so  many  of  their 
grandest  images  for  setting  forth  an  idea  of  God’s  power. 
Before  me  lay  an  extensive  reach  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon, 
and  the  summits  of  Gilboa  and  the  lesser  Hermon.  On  the 
south-east  was  a  mountainous  tract,  known  as  that  of 
Ephraim  or  Samaria,  filled  up  with  a  rolling  sea  of  hill-tops 
to  an  indefinite  extent.  Looking  to  the  south,  along  the 
coast,  at  the  distance  of  ten  miles,  was  Athlit,  the  site  of  a 
famous  castle  of  the  Crusaders,  one  of  the  last  footholds 
which  they  relinquished  to  the  Saracens.  A  few  miles  be¬ 
yond  there,  though  not  in  sight,  were  the  ruins  of  Caesarea, 
so  interesting  from  its  connection  with  the  fortunes  of  the 
great  apostle.  The  line  of  vision  on  the  north  was  bounded 
by  the  hills  near  Nazareth  and  Safet.  It  would  have  been 
easy,  so  far  as  distance  is  concerned,  to  have  seen  ancient 
Tyre,  now  Sur ;  but  the  projection  of  Has  el-Abiad,  the 
White  Promontory,  hid  it  from  view.  The  graceful  curve 
of  the  bay  of  Akka,  sweeping  from  that  city  to  the  head  of 


826 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Carmel,  appeared  here  to  great  advantage.  It  was  a  glori¬ 
ous  panorama,  rich,  too,  in  historical  memories.  I  felt  that 
greater  distinctness  of  outline  would  have  added  to  the  effect. 
The  objects,  excepting  a  few  near  at  hand,  were  distant, 
showed  themselves  in  the  mass,  and  left  on  the  mind,  there¬ 
fore,  a  less  definite  impression. 

FERTILITY  OF  CARMEL. 

Carmel  is  often  mentioned  in  the  Bible  as  remarkable  for 
its  fertility,  and  the  beauty  of  its  vegetation.  Thus  Isaiah 
(35,  2)  speaks  of  “  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon,” 
and  Amos  (1,  2),  when  he  would  give  an  idea  of  the  extreme 
effects  of  a  consuming  drought,  says  “  that  even  the  top  of 
Carmel  (usually  so  verdant)  shall  wither.”  Though  the 
region  has  long  been  neglected,  and  exhibits  on  the  whole  a 
sterile  aspect,  the  soil  when  examined  still  gives  evidence  of 
being  naturally  very  productive.  “  The  Flora  of  Carmel,” 
says  Schubert,*  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  living  naturalists, 
“  is  one  of  the  richest  and  most  diversified  in  all  Palestine, 
since  it  unites  the  products  of  the  mountain  with  those  of  the 
valley  and  the  sea-coast.”  He  enumerates  forty-seven  differ¬ 
ent  kinds  of  flowers  found  there,  without  pretending  to  com¬ 
plete  the  list.  “  A  botanist,”  he  remarks,  “  might  spend  a 
year  there,  and  every  day  be  adding  new  specimens  to  his 
collection.” 

The  plain  between  Haifa  and  the  base  of  Carmel,  though 
washed  by  the  sea,  is  still  cultivated  and  very  fertile.  One 

*  Reise  in  das  Morgenland,  Vol.  m.,  p.  212. 


WRECKS  ON  THE  SHORE. 


327 


large  tract  was  covered  with  wheat,  the  stalks  of  which  could 
hardly  support  the  heavy  ears  that  weighed  them  down. 
There  were  orchards,  in  which  I  noticed  olives,  a  few  date- 
trees,  fig-trees  and  pomegranates.  The  Indian  fig,  or  prickly- 
pear,  was  abundant.  Yegetables,  especially  cucumbers,  were 
ripening  under  the  eye  of  watchers,  who  occupied  lodges  on 
the  margin  of  the  gardens,  to  protect  them  against  depreda¬ 
tion. 


,  THE  RIDE  TO  AKKA. 

Our  ride  to  Akka  was  along  the  beach,  with  the  surf 
breaking  occasionally  at  the  horse’s  feet.  We  forded  again 
the  mouth  of  the  Kishon.  It  was  sad  to  see  here  and  there, 
as  we  rode  on,  the  ribs  of  the  hulks  of  vessels  embedded  in 
the  sand ;  and  so  much  the  more,  as  it  was  a  proof,  not  only 
of  the  violence  of  the  storms  which  at  certain  seasons  visit 
this  coast,  but  of  the  imperfect  skill  in  navigation  of  the 
eastern  mariners.  Just  before  coming  to  Akka,  we  crossed 
the  Belus,  now  the  Nahmen,  as  one  of  the  natives  pronounced 
it  to  me.  It  is  deeper  and  broader  at  its  mouth  than  the 
Kishon,  and  I  was  reluctant  to  enter  it,  till  some  of  those 
who  were  passing  had  preceded  me  and  shown  it  to  be  safe. 
It  was  on  the  banks  of  this  stream  that  the  Tyrian  sailors 
are  said  to  have  made  the  accidental  discovery  of  the  art  of 
manufacturing  glass.  It  was  near  four  o’clock  when  we  left 
the  gate  of  Haifa,  and  it  wanted  but  little  of  seven  as  we 
entered  that  of  Akka.  The  time  is  .often  given  as  more  than 
three  hours,  but  we  galloped  a  part  of  the  way,  and  the  dis- 


328 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


tance  from  Carmel  to  Akka  cannot  well  be  less  than  ten 
miles. 

It  gave  a  special  interest  to  this  ride  to  know  that  I  was 
treading  the  ground  over  which  Paul  and  his  friends  passed 
on  his  last  journey  to  Jerusalem.  Luke  informs  us  in  the 
Acts  (21,  7,  sq.),  that  the  apostle  on  that  occasion  went  by 
land  from  Ptolemais,  or  Akka,  to  Cmsarea ;  and  the  road 
which  he  followed  must  have  been  that  which  leads  at  pres¬ 
ent  along  the  sea-shore,  around  the  head  of  Carmel,  and 
thence  onward  to  the  south. 

Intending  to  remain  at  Akka  until  Monday,  I  took  a  room 
in  the  Latin  convent.  Some  of  the  party  preferred  a  bivouac 
under  a  noble,  wide-spreading  tree,  in  the  court  of  this  an¬ 
cient  asylum.  I  saw  but  little  of  the  inmates.  In  the  even¬ 
ing,  happening  to  hear  the  sound  of  voices,  I  followed  the 
direction  of  it,  and  thus  found  my  way  to  the  chapel,  where 
a  company  of  monks  were  chanting  their  vespers.  The  im¬ 
mense  area  which  the  convent  occupies,  the  number  of  rooms 
in  it,  the  solid  style  and  general  plan  of  the  structure,  though 
time  has  now  made  sad  ravages  in  it,  show  that  in  its  best 
days  it  could  have  boasted  of  no  mean  rank  among  establish¬ 
ments  of  this  character. 

A  PUBLIC  PARADE. 

I  spent  most  of  the  next  day,  which  was  Sabbath,  in  my 
room.  The  Latin  convent,  where  I  lodged,  is  not  far  from 
the  southern  gate,  and  in  the  course  of  the  day  I  walked  out 
to  the  sea-shore,  in  that  direction.  On  the  way,  I  encoun- 


OBJECT  OF  THE  PARADE. 


329 


tered  a  procession  of  people,  going,  as  I  was  told,  to  one  of 
the  mosques  to  perforin  the  rite  of  circumcision.  The  prin¬ 
cipal  person  in  the  group  was  a  boy,  apparently  about  ten 
years  old,  mounted  on  a  horse,  elegantly  caparisoned,  and 
having  a  canopy  held  over  him  by  a  servant.  Another  boy, 
superbly  dressed,  somewhat  younger,  followed  on  a  second 
horse,  and,  near  the  end  of  the  train,  came  two  others,  whom 
I  took  to  be  of  humbler  rank,  seated  on  a  single  horse.  Mu¬ 
sicians  preceded  them  with  drums,  hautboys  and  tambourines. 
Of  those  in  the  procession,  some  carried  streaming  banners, 
some  carried  rolls  of  costly  raiment,  and  others  various  other 
articles  of  a  showy  description,  suited  to  add  to  the  pomp  of 
the  occasion.  A  motley  crowd  of  men,  women  and  children, 
followed  as  spectators.  The  boys  on  the  horses  were  eating 
sweetmeats  as  they  rode  along ;  the  jvhole  being  a  contriv¬ 
ance  to  divert  their  ^minds  and  prepare  them  for  the  painful 
rite  they  were  to  undergo.  Such  a  parade,  it  is  said,  usually 
takes  place  when  a  boy  is  about  to  be  circumcised,  if  the 
parents  can  afford  the  expense.  If  they  are  in  indigent  cir¬ 
cumstances,  they  often  take  advantage  of  the  circumcision 
of  a  rich  man’s  son,  by  seeking  to  be  allowed  to  join  the 
procession,  and  repair  to  the  mosque  at  the  same  time.  The 
ceremony  is  not  always  so  public ;  it  may  be  performed  in 
the  dwelling  of  the  parties,  though  even  then  the  parade  is 
seldom  omitted. 

This  walk  gave  me  a  new  idea  of  the  value  of  stone  houses 
in  the  East,  as  a  protection  against  the  heat.  Within  the 
walls  of  the  convent,  which  was  built  of  stone,  it  was  as  cool 

28 


830 


SCRIPTURE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


as  could  be  desired ;  though  it  was  nearly  noon  when  I  went 
abroad,  I  had  perceived  no  intimation  that  the  heat  was  un¬ 
commonly  severe.  But,  on  issuing  into  the  open  air,  the 
change  of  temperature  was  extreme  ;  the  heat  produced  a 
feeling  like  that  of  suffocation.  I  walked  out  of  the  gate 
along  the  beach  as  far  as  the  mouth  of  the  Belus  ;  but  even 
then,  though  favored  with  a  slight  breeze  from  the  Mediter¬ 
ranean,  the  heat  was  still  intense,  and,  after  a  brief  trial,  I 
was  glad  to  escape  to  my  comfortable  retreat  within  the 
convent. 


But  my  limits  require  me  to  put  an  end  to  these  sketches, 
though  the  conclusion  must  be  somewhat  abrupt.  Out  of 
the  many  places  that  might  be  spoken  of,  I  have  selected  a 
few  which  have  some  special  prominence  in  the  Bible,  and 
deserve,  therefore,  to  be  made  as  familiar  as  possible  to  the 
mind  of  every  reader.  Would  that  what  I  have  written 
might  serve,  in  some  measure,  to  furnish  that  knowledge,  to 
render  the  study  of  the.  Scriptures  more  interesting  and  prof¬ 
itable  to  those  who  engage  in  it !  How  much  would  such  a 
result  augment  the  pleasure,  already  so  great  in  so  many 
ways,  connected  with  my  recollections  of  this  delightful 
journey  ! 


INDEX. 


A. 

Absalom’s  pillar,  103. 

Absalom’s  tomb,  257. 

Aceldama,  267. 

Adullam,  traditional  cave  of,  21. 
Adventure  at  El-Bireh,  107. 

Africa,  search  there  for  the  lost  tribes, 
230. 

Akka,  seen  from  Nazareth,  305. 
Alternations  of  heat  and  cold,  136. 
American  missionaries’  cemetery,  286. 
Anathoth,  its  situation,  75,  125. 

Ancient  stones,  287. 

Animals  used  in  the  desert,  29. 

Antonia,  castle  of,  281. 

Aqueduct  from  Bethlehem,  269. 

Aphek,  not  yet  discovered,  181. 

Arabs,  their  cunning,  201. 

Assembly  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  220. 
Ashdod,  134. 

Assyrian  conquest,  76,  77. 

Atlilit,  site  of  a  castle,  325. 

Atmosphere,  peculiar,  39,  198. 

Azotus,  134. 

B, 

Babylon,  its  fall  announced,  50. 

Bahurim,  its  situation,  92. 

Barley  harvest,  297. 

Baths  near  Tiberias,  315. 

Baskets,  used  as  vehicles,  96. 


Beatitudes,  reputed  mount  of,  313. 

Bed  used  among  the  common  people,  105'. 
Bedouin  encampment,  39. 

Beeroth,  108. 

Bees  in  Palestine,  96. 

Behind  the  mill,  81. 

Bells,  their  use,  77. 

“  Scripture  allusion  to  them,  77. 
Belus,  river  of,  crossed,  327. 

Bethany,  252,  273. 

Bethel,  account  of,  173. 

“  night  spent  there,  175,  211. 
Beth-IIaccerem,  274. 

Beth-IIoron,  275. 

Bethlehem,  visit  to,  294. 

“  surrounding  country,  296. 

“  as  seenfrom  Mount  Elyas,  296. 
Bethshean,  identified,  182. 

Bezetha,  79,  279. 

Bible  lost  in  Jacob’s  well,  203. 

Birds  around  the  sanctuary,  87. 

Birket  el-IIumman,  283. 

Birket  Israil,  282. 

Blasted  ears  of  corn,  135. 

Bottles,  leathern,  size  of,  45. 

“  old,  insecurity  of,  45. 

“  of  skin,  how  made,  44. 

“  “  “  extensively  used  at  pres¬ 

ent,  44. 

“  Breaking  through,”  explained,  95. 
Brother,  use  of  the  term  in  Scripture,  113 


832 


INDEX 


Brooks  in  the  east,  17. 

Buildings  of  the  temple,  as  seen  from 
Olivet,  272. 

Burial,  present  mode  in  the  east,  100. 
Burning  of  costly  gifts,  235. 

Business,  different  branches  not  inter¬ 
mixed,  61. 

c. 

Cairo,  appearance  of  its  streets,  61. 
Camel’s  hair  for  garments,  96. 

Cana,  two  places  of  that  name,  313. 
Capernaum,  descent  to,  208. 

“  site  not  known,  321. 
Caravans,  route  from  Damascus  to  Egypt, 
240. 

Care  of  the  Jews  in  copying  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  226. 

Carmel,  visible  from  Tabor,  310. 

“  ascent  of,  323. 

“  view  from,  325. 

Carmelites,  327. 

Carob-tree  and  its  fruit,  129. 

Carriages  unknown  in  Palestine,  19. 
Catherwood,  Mr.,  entered  the  Mosque,  278. 
Cave  of  Jerome,  300. 

“  of  St.  James,  259. 

Oaves  used  for  sepulchres,  97. 

“  on  Mount  Carmel,  324. 

Chaff,  how  separated  from  the  wheat,  161 
Changes  of  time,  in  and  around  Jerusa¬ 
lem,  250. 

Children,  mode  of  carrying  them,  57. 

“  “  “  “  “  as  ex¬ 

plaining  Is.  49,  22,  57. 

Christians  enter  some  of  the  mosques,  67. 
“  excluded  from  the  mosque  of 
Omar,  278. 

Church  of  the  Nativity,  299. 

Cisterns  of  private  houses,  93. 

“  of  modern  Jerusalem,  93. 

“  on  the  north  of  Jerusalem,  270. 
City  set  on  a  hill,  70. 

Clapping  of  the  hands,  234. 

Climate  in  the  valley  of  the  Jordan,  147. 
Coal  used  for  fuel,  138. 

Cold,  severe  at  night,  136, 138. 


Coming  of  Elias,  235. 

Conduct  of  persons  on  the  death  of  a 
friend,  113. 

Continual  dropping,  84. 

Convent  on  Mount  Sinai,  69. 

“  of  Mar  Saba,  104. 

Copying  of  the  Scriptures,  225. 

Corner  of  a  bed,  meaning  in  Amos  4,  12, 
60. 

Counting  the  cost,  165. 

Criminals,  one  mode  of  putting  them  to 
death,  81. 

Cursing  one’s  ancestors,  105. 

Customs  of  ancient  times  preserved,  53. 

D. 

Daberath,  probable  situation,  74. 
Damascus,  appearance  from  a  distance 
and  near  hy,  94. 

Damascus,  houses  in  the  walls,  68. 

Dan,  the  tribe  compared  to  a  serpent.  43. 
David’s  elegy,  179. 

“  flight  from  Absalom,  272. 

“  tomb,  285. 

Dead  Sea,  as  seen  from  Olivet,  273. 

Death  shade,  meaning  of,  47. 

Deceitful  brook,  18. 

Deficiencies  of  Palestine  unduly  insisted 
on,  142. 

Demoniacs  among  the  tombs,  101. 

Desert,  its  sparkling  appearance,  28- 
.  “  between  the  Nile  and  Palestine, 
25,  40,  48. 

Deserts,  often  used  as  pastures,  26. 

“  not. mere  tracts  of  sand,  26. 
Deserted  village  in  Egypt,  94. 

Digging  through  houses,  93. 

Disciples,  why  compared  to  a  city,  70. 
Dishonest  gains,  136. 

Dishonesty  of  removing  the  landmark. 
167. 

Divan,  meaning  and  description  of,  58. 

“  capacity  of,  61. 

“  how  indicative  of  rank,  59. 
Diversions  at  a  Jewish  festival,  234. 
Domes  on  the  roofs  of  houses,  276. 

Dothan,  still  existing,  199. 


INDEX 


333 


Dreariness,  a  striking  image  of,  162. 

Dress  ami  food  of  the  lower  classes,  96. 
Dry  cisterns,  93. 

Dwelling  on  the  house-top,  74. 

E. 

Early  hours,  115. 

“  frequently  referred  to  in  the  Bible, 
117. 

Eastern  mode  of  resenting  an  affront,  106. 
Edwards,  Prof.  B.  B.,  tribute  to  hi3  mem¬ 
ory,  149. 

Engedi,  wilderness  of,  300. 

Egypt,  its  name  in  the  old  Testament,  120. 
“  anciently  more  productive  than 
now,  28. 

“  and  Palestine,  shortest  road  be¬ 
tween  them,  50. 

Egyptians,  their  mode  of  punishing  par¬ 
ricides,  128. 

El-Arish,  the  Botany  Bay  of  the  Pharaohs, 
25. 

“  an  incident  there,  105. 
El-Bireh,  15. 

Elijah’s  pillar,  235. 

Encampment  of  pilgrims,  23. 

Endor,  182,  310. 

En-Gannim,  178. 

En-Rogel,  90,  264. 

Esdraelon,  its  agricultural  capabilities, 
142. 

“  its  extent,  178. 

Eshcol,  its  locality,  164. 

“  for  what  distinguished,  164. 
Explanation  of  Solomon’s  Song,  1,  5,  39. 
Extent  of  ancient  Jerusalem,  248. 

F. 

Family  tomes,  97. 

Fan,  an  emblem  of  Christ’s  doctrine,  162. 
Fanaticism  of  the  Mohammedans,  323. 
Females,  their  dress,  107. 

“  engaged  in  washing,  108. 

“  entrusted  with  the  care  of  flocks, 
106. 

Fertility  of  Palestine,  140. 

28* 


1  Fig-tree,  peculiarity  of  its  blossom,  133. 

|  Fire  needed  at  night,  138. 

Fire  of  the  temple  during  the  captivity 
264. 

First  night  in  the  desert,  31. 

First  view  of  Jerusalem,  242. 

Fiske,  Prof.  N.  W.,  place  of  his  burial  on 
Mount  Zion,  286. 

“  “  “  “  tribute  to  his  mem¬ 

ory,  286. 

Flies,  numerous  near  Akka,  241. 

Flora  of  Carmel,  326. 

Flowing  with  milk  and  honey,  phrase 
explained,  141. 

Food  of  the  poorer  classes,  129. 

Footsteps  of  the  patriarchs,  50. 

Former  reservoirs,  263. 

Fountain  of  the  Virgin,  near  Jerusalem, 
260. 

“  near  Nazareth,  92. 

Frailty,  emblem  of,  125. 

Frank  Mountain,  274. 

Fuel  used  in  Palestine,  127,  131,  138. 
Funeral  rites,  110. 

“  procession  on  Mt.  Zion,  112. 

G. 

Gadara,  101. 

Galilean  caravans,  route  of,  15. 

Gates  of  Jerusalem,  248. 

Gathering  out  the  stones,  165. 

Gehenna,  265. 

Gennesaret,  plain  of,  320. 

Gerizim,  a  holy  mount,  67,  198. 
Getlisemane,  254. 

Gibbon’s  disparagement  of  Palestine,  141. 
Gibeah,  now  Jeba,  199. 

“  the  home  of  Saul,  208. 

Gibeon,  276. 

Gibeonites,  artifice  of,  45. 

Gideon’s  mode  of  punishment,  128. 

Gihon,  lower,  160,  168. 

“  upper,  90,  269. 

“  valley  of,  246. 

Gilboa,  mountains  of,  178. 

God’s  care  in  clothing  the  grass  of  the 
field,  131. 


# 


334 


INDEX. 


Gorge  through  anti-Lebanon,  99. 

Goshen,  situation,  27. 

“  its  value  to  the  Hebrews,  23. 
Government  of  Palestine,  144. 
Grain-fields,  how  divided,  167. 

Grapes,  process  of  treading  them,  157. 
Grass  of  the  oven,  131. 

Grass  on  the  house-tops,  125. 

Gratification  of  traveling  through  the 
lands  of  the  Bible,  124. 

Greek  customs,  often  like  the  oriental, 
161. 

“  priest,  an  odd  one,  306. 

Grinding  at  the  mill,  77. 

“  illustrates  the  Saviour’s  predic¬ 
tion,  78. 

Guests,  where  and  how  received  in  an 
oriental  house,  59,  60. 

II. 

Habakkuk’s  language  in  respect  to  the 
fig-tree,  134. 

Haifa,  town  of,  323. 

Hai,  its  situation,  176. 

Harvest,  time  of,  55. 

Ilauran,  the  ancient  Gilead,  309. 

Heat,  its  sudden  increase,  137. 

Ilebleh,  description  of  a  wine-press  there, 
157. 

Hebrew  manuscripts,  225. 

Hebrew  term  for  sparrow,  87. 

Hedge  of  thorns,  166. 

Ilelbon,  recently  discovered,  214. 

Hermits  on  Tabor,  306. 

Hcnnon,  its  brilliant  appearance,  311. 
Herod’s  gate,  271. 

Ilerod  the  Great’s  place  of  burial,  264. 
Hezekiah’s  pool,  283. 

Hiding  the  spies,  72. 

Hill  of  Evil  Council,  265. 

Hills  of  Galilee,  238. 

“  within  Jerusalem,  246. 

Hinnom,  valley  of,  98,  246,  264. 

Hippie  tower,  284. 

Holy  cities  of  Palestine,  227. 

“  sepulchre,  239. 


Holy  Sepulchre,  genuineness  questioned, 
290. 

“  “  favored  by  tradition,  291. 

“  “  why  not  the  true  site, 

292. 

Honey,  its  abundance,  142. 

“  from  trees,  96. 

Hospitality  in  the  East,  64. 

“  how  violated,  Luke  9,  51,  sq., 
65. 

Hour  of  setting  off  on  journeys,  117. 
Houses  of  Egypt,  &c.,  of  what  material 
made,  94. 

“  Palestine,  &c.,  94. 

“  on  the  city  walls,  67. 

Husks,  meaning  of  the  term,  128. 

I. 

Identification  of  places  in  Jerusalem,  219. 
Idolaters  at  Bethel,  93. 

Imagery  drawn  from  the  treading  of 
grapes,  158. 

Indignation  of  James  and  John,  65. 
Infidelity  rebuked,  215. 

Interest  attaching  to  Jerusalem,  244. 
Invasions  of  Palestine,  209. 

Isaiah’s  language  in  chap.  22,  16,  97. 

“  parable  of  the  vineyard,  165. 

“  his  poetry,  191. 

Island  in  the  Dead  Sea,  295. 

J. 

Jacob’s  burial  at  nebron,  111.- 

“  claim  on  the  gratitude  of  Laban, 

136. 

Jacob  Berisch  David,  229. 

Jairus,  scene  in  his  house,  114. 

Jenin,  178. 

Jehosliaphat,  valley  of,  246,  254. 
Jeremiah,  place  of  his  death,  49. 

“  his  cave,  271. 

“  prediction  concerning  Ana- 

thoth,  75. 

“  reference  to  public  mourners. 


111. 


INDEX 


335 


Jericho,  the  road  thither,  51,  206. 

“  lower  than  Jerusalem,  215. 
Jerusalem,  its  rank  among  earthly  sights, 

242. 

“  its  situation,  245. 

“  ancient  and  modern  contrast¬ 

ed,  279. 

“  as  seen  from  the  north-west, 

243. 

“  view  of  by  night,  139. 

“  its  streets  parcelled  out,  62. 

“  tombs  in  its  vicinity,  99. 

Jesus  left  at  Jerusalem,  11. 

Jews,  their  restoration  to  Palestine,  303. 
Jews’  quarter  in  Jerusalem,  221. 

Jewish  cemeteries,  259. 

“  festival,  231. 

“  houses,  interior  of,  59. 

“  pilgrims,  their  employment,  char¬ 
acter,  &c.,  219. 

“  population  of  Jerusalem  at  pres¬ 
ent,  218. 

“  race,  present  compared  with  the 
ancient,  52. 

“  scribe,  225. 

“  worship,  223. 

Jezreel  and  its  fountain,  181,  sq. 

Job’s  description  of  a  thief,  95. 

“  illustration  of  the  frailty  of  life,  95. 
John’s  description  of  the  heavenly  Jeru¬ 
salem,  82. 

John  the  Baptist’s  dress  and  food,  95. 
Jordan,  as  seen  from  Olivet,  273. 

“  cataracts  in,  175. 

Joseph’s  sepulchre,  93,  100. 

“  his  sarcophagus,  197. 

Josiah’s  zeal  for  the  worship  of  Jehovah, 
98. 

Journey,  how  long  the  first  day,  12. 

“  of  Joseph’s  brethren  into  Egypt, 

29. 

Judas’  native  city,  21. 

“  death,  266. 

K. 

Kedar,  tents  of,  38. 

Kedron,  253,  264. 


Iiedron,  valley  of,  246. 

King  of  Ai,  his  sepulchre,  104. 

King’s  garden,  263. 

Kings,  place  of  their  burial,  285. 

Kishon,  river  of,  321. 

“  allusion  to,  322. 

“  prophets  of  Baal  slain  there,  323. 

L. 

Landmark  between  fields,  166. 

Lake  of  Galilee,  318. 

“  storms  upon,  319. 

Latitude  and  longitude  of  Jerusalem,  248. 
Latin  language  still  spoken,  306. 

Latter  rain,  139,  303. 

Lazarus’  grave,  98. 

Laws  of  prophetic  language,  189. 

Leather  girdle,  96. 

Lebonah,  now  El-Lebbun,  211. 

Legacy  of  a  mother  to  her  daughter,  108 . 
Lepsius,  anecdote  of,  86. 

Lesson  from  the  flowers,  132. 

Libertines,  synagogue  of,  222. 

Limestone,  abundant  in  Palestine,  143. 
Locusts  in  Palestine,  97. 

Lodge  in  a  garden,  162. 

Lost  tribes,  230. 

Lynch’s  voyage  down  the  Jordan,  175. 
“  his  testimony,  217. 

M. 

Magdala,  its  situation,  96,  320. 

Mamre,  Abraham’s  abode,  172. 

Man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water,  89. 

Maon,  near  Hebron,  211. 

Mediterranean,  seen  from  Mizpeh,  275. 

“  Tabor,  309. 

“  Carmel,  325. 

Meiron,  231. 

“  its  tombs,  232. 

Merchants,  itinerant,  62. 

Meshullam,  Mr.,  and  his  agricultural  col¬ 
on/,  148. 

j  Messiah,  Jewish  opinions  respecting  him, 
227,  229. 

j  Menzel,  the  stranger’s  house,  64. 


INDEX 


336 


Michmash,  now  Mukhmas,  191. 

“  “  pass  ”  of,  192. 

Mill-stones,  description  of  them,  77. 

“  as  an  instrument  of  punish¬ 
ment,  81. 

“  explanation  of  Ex.  11,  5,  81. 
Minstrels  employed  at  funerals,  115. 
Missionary  assaulted,  802. 

Mizpeh,  situation  of,  82. 

“  view  from  it,  275. 

Moab,  announcement  of  its  fall  by  Isaiah, 
159. 

Modern  Jerusalem,  279. 

Mohammedan  burying-ground  at  Alex¬ 
andria,  110. 

“  at  Kahn  Yunus,  11. 

“  at  Jerusalem,  253,  271. 

Moon  hanging  over  Tiberias,  307. 

Moriah,  281. 

Moses’  statute  in  regard  to  the  mill-stone, 
80. 

Mosque  of  Omar,  277. 

Mount  Casius,  49. 

“  of  Offence,  261. 

“  of  Olives,  251. 

14  “  “  its  height,  272. 

“  “  “  its  tombs,  97,  99. 

“  Zion,  partly  out  of  the  city,  285. 

Mountain,  how  made  to  flow  with  oil  and 
wine,  144. 

Mouths  of  sepulchres  gaping  upon  travel¬ 
ers,  88. 

Mukhna,  plain  of,  193. 

Muezzin,  his  office,  178. 

Mungo  Park  in  an  African  desert,  132. 
Mustard-seed  plant,  its  height  and  size, 

123. 

“  “  not  generic,  124. 

Mysterious  cry,  113. 

N. 

Nablus,  193. 

Nain,  burial  of  the  widow’s  son,  112. 
Names  of  ancient  times  retained,  S3,  209. 
“  mode  of  identifying  them,  211. 

“  ancient  and  modern  compared,  212. 


Narrow  paths,  169, 

Natural  advantages  of  Palestine,  140. 
Nazareth,  tomb  at,  100. 

“  how  it  appears,  301. 

“  its  population,  &c.,  302. 

Nebuchadnezzar’s  boast,  71. 

Neby  Samuil,  275. 

Nehemiah’s  well,  264. 

Nile,  spoken  of  as  a  sea,  119. 

Night  of  the  betrayal,  139. 

Nineveh,  discovery  there,  187. 

No  or  Thebes,  as  described  by  Nahum, 
119. 

Nob,  on  Olivet,  192. 

North  side  of  Jerusalem,  270. 

Numerous  languages  heard  in  Jerusalem, 

220. 

0. 

Oasis,  described,  20. 

Oaks  of  Moreh,  193. 

“  peculiar,  305. 

Objection  against  the  accuracy  of  Scrip¬ 
ture,  134. 

“  urged  against  Gen.  42,  26,  29. 
“  against  Jacob’s  well,  201. 

Oleanders,  316,  321. 

Olive-tree,  kind  of  soil  it  prefers,  146. 

“  its  age,  255. 

Open  bier,  112. 

Ophel,  262. 

Ornaments  of  Hebrew  women,  107. 
Ox-goad,  155. 

P. 

Palestine,  present  fertility,  144. 

“  in  its  palmy  days,  149. 

Parable  of  the  good  Samaritan,  206. 
Partial  representations  of  travelers,  143. 
Passover,  time  of  its  occurrence,  138,  139. 
Past  and  present  brought  near  to  each 
other,  84. 

Pastoral  resources  of  Palestine,  142,  140. 
Path  to  Bethany,  252. 

Paths  through  corn-fields,  168. 

Paul  rescued  from  the  Jewish  mob,  281. 


INDEX. 


337 


Paul’ 3  escape  from  Damascus,  67. 

Paul,  his  route  from  Akka  to  Caesarea, 
328. 

Peter,  praying  on  the  house-top,  73. 
Petra,  description  of  the  chasm  there, 
47. 

“  its  tombs,  99. 

Pharaoh’s  vision  of  the  blasted  ears  of  corn, 
135. 

Pharisees  and  whited  sepulchres,  56. 
Philip  and  the  Ethiopian  euuuch,  224. 
Pilate’s  Praetorium,  284. 

Pilgrim  psalms,  21. 

Place  for  ripening  and  drying  fruits,  &c., 
72. 

“  of  honor  on  the  divan,  60. 

Plain  of  Jericho,  its  richness,  147. 

Plough,  its  construction  and  use,  153. 
Plucking  the  ears  of  corn,  168. 

Pompeii,  mill-stones  there,  78. 

Pool  of  Bethesda,  2S2. 

“  of  Siloam,  262. 

Posture  in  prayer,  109. 

Potter’s  field,  still  furnishes  clay,  267. 
Precipice,  one  at  Nazareth,  309. 

Precipices  about  the  Lake  of  Galilee,  118, 
190. 

Prickly  pear  used  for  a  hedge,  166. 
Priests,  barefoot  in  the  temple,  66. 
Procession  to  a  mosque,  328. 

Prodigal  son’s  food,  128. 

Prospect  from  Safet,  229. 

Proverb  of  the  ox-goad,  156. 

Purse  and  scrip,  97. 

Pupils  in  the  Itabbinic  schools,  231. 

R. 

Rabbinic  schools  of  Safet,  227,  229,  231. 
Rachel’s  tomb,  100. 

Rahab,  situation  of  her  house,  68. 

“  hiding  the  spies,  72. 

Rain,  its  effect  on  the  roofs  of  houses,  85. 
Ramah,  near  Jerusalem,  191. 

u  in  Naphtali,  240. 

Ramleh,  tank  there,  90. 

Ravines,  numerous  in  Palestine,  47. 


Reading  aloud,  224. 

Rebekah,  drawing  water,  89. 

“  returning  from  the  well,  107. 
Reconciliation  of  the  accounts  of  the 
Saviour’s  posture  in  the  garden,  109. 
Religious  ostentation  of  the  Mohammed¬ 
ans,  74. 

E.ephaim,  plain  of,  26S,  274. 

Reservoir,  the  largest  near  Jerusalem, 
268. 

“  near  St.  Stephen’s  gate,  253. 
Ritter’s  testimony,  215. 

“  his  illustration,  216. 

Road  to  Anathoth  and  Bethel,  271. 

Roads,  danger  of,  21. 

Roller,  used  on  the  roofs  of  houses,  84. 
Roman  governor,  his  usual  place  of  resi¬ 
dence,  284,  285. 

Roof,  as  place  of  observation,  75. 

Roofs,  used  as  a  place  of  promenade,  70, 
71,  72. 

“  sleeping-room,  71. 

“  store-room,  72. 

“  places  of  retirement,  73. 

“  u  “  prayer,  73. 

Ruins  at  Bethel,  174. 

“  at  Safet,  228. 

“  of  a  synagogue,  237. 

“  on  Tabor,  303. 

Rules  for  preparing  copies  of  the  Penta¬ 
teuch,  226. 

Ruth’s  language  in  respect  to  the  field  of 
Boaz,  167. 

“  gleaning  in  the  fields,  297. 

s. 

Sabbath,  spent  at  Nazareth,  300. 

“  “  at  Ptolemais,  228. 

Safet,  description  of,  227. 

“  its  position,  70. 

“  number  of  its  Jewish  inhabitants, 

221. 

“  elegance  of  its  synagogue,  223. 
Salim,  ancient  Shalim,  194. 

Salt  deserts,  48. 

Samson’s  punishment,  81. 


338 


INDEX 


Samaria,  or  £ebustieh,  183. 

“  denounced  by  the  prophet,  1S4. 

“  its  origin,  187. 

“  present  condition,  183. 

Sand-hills  of  the  desert,  40. 

Saul’s  outburst  of  anger  against  Jonathan, 
106. 

“  his  fate,  181. 

“  his  last  battle-field,  183. 

Saviour  in  the  garden,  109, 

“  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth, 
223. 

“  place  of  his  trial  and  scourging, 
284. 

Saviour’s  agony  in  the  garden,  256. 

“  comparison  of  the  inconstant 
discij)le,  154. 

“  illustration  of  God’s  watchful 
care,  87. 

“  temptation,  place  of  its  occur¬ 
rence,  273. 

“  trial,  occurred  early,  115. 
Shechem,  its  beautiful  situation,  193. 
Scene,  mournful,  among  the  tombs,  265. 

“  from  the  patriarchal  age,  88. 

Sea,  use  of  the  term  in  Scripture,  118. 
Seed  by  the  way-side,  16.8. 

Seleh,  its  situation  and  appearance,  58. 
Septuagint,  renders  correctly  Prov.  27, 
15,  86; 

Sepulchres  of  the  Hebrews,  97. 

“  “  “  Yalley  of  Ilinnom,  98. 

“  “  Mount  of  Olives,  &c.,  99. 

“  “  “  wealthier  families,  265. 

Serbonian  bog,  49. 

Serpents  of  the  desert,  dangerous  to 
travelers,  43. 

Shadow  of  a  rock,  50. 

Shamgar’s  achievement,  155. 

Sheep  before  her  shearers,  258. 

“  gate,  282. 

“  and  goats  intermixed,  26. 

Shepherds  often  at  a  distance  from  their 
homes,  26. 

“  plain  of,  near  Bethlehem,  300. 
Shunem,  180,  182. 

Shunning  the  public  ways,  169. 


Shur,  desert  of,  40. 

Shutting  the  gates,  82. 

Sign  of  summer,  133. 

Signs  of  fertility  often  misunderstood,  143. 
Siloah’s  brook,  262. 

Silwan,  village  of,  99,  261. 

Single  names  among  the  Hebrews,  83. 
Sketch  of  a  Galilean  Tempe,  239. 

Sky,  its  appearance  at  night,  30. 
Sleeping-room,  sometimes  on  the  roof,  71. 
Sliding  of  the  feet,  19. 

Snow  for  cooling  drinks,  63. 

“  as  explaining  Prov.  24,  13,  54. 
Solitude,  described  by  Jeremiah,  80. 
Solomon’s  temple,  its  situation,  88. 

Song  of  the  grinders,  78. 

Songs  of  modern  pilgrims,  23. 

Sources  of  information  respecting  the 
Jews,  218. 

Sparrows,  sale  of,  86. 

Sports  of  children  in  the  east,  120. 

Star  of  the  Magians,  293. 

Stephen,  traditional  place  of  his  martyr¬ 
dom,  253. 

Stone  at  the  mouth  of  a  sepulchre,  100. 

“  heaps  upon  the  graves  of  the  in¬ 
famous,  102. 

“  on  the  mouth  of  a  well,  91. 

Stone  houses,  their  value,  329. 

Stony  soil  not  unproductive,  143. 
Store-house  on  the  roof,  72. 

Storms  of  sand,  41. 

Streets,  how  distinguished,  61. 

Strength  of  ancient  Jerusalem,  249. 
Succoth,  punishment  of  its  princes,  127. 
Superiority  of  Palestine  to  Egypt,  152. 
Synagogues  at  Jerusalem,  221. 

T 

Tabor  visited,  304, 

“  prospect  from,  309. 

Taking  off  the  shoes,  66. 

Taking  up  the  bed,  105. 

Tares,  in  the  parable,  130. 

Tekoa,  a  place  of  herdsmen,  300. 


INDEX 


339 


Temple,  its  site,  280. 

44  prediction  of  its  overthrow,  288. 
lent,  a  type  of  the  body,  38. 

“  of  Kedar,  38. 

Tents,  as  originating  many  Scripture  ex¬ 
pressions,  35,  37. 

44  frequent  removals  of,  36. 

“  antiquity  and  extent  of  their  use, 
33. 

44  manner  of  pitching,  34. 

Testimony  of  travelers  to  the  fertility  of 
Palestine,  146. 

Thorns,  their  prevalence  in  Palestine,  126. 
“  “  use,  127. 

44  how  employed  in  figurative  lan- 

«  guage,  127. 

44  immense  height  near  Succoth, 
128. 

Threshing-floors,  160. 

44  machine,  161. 

Time  of  year  for  traveling  in  the  east,  122. 
Tittle,  meaning  of  the  word,  225. 

Titus’  camp,  its  position,  270. 

44  confession  in  regard  to  the  capture 
of  Jerusalem,  249. 

Toilet  of  Hebrew  women,  107. 

44  description  of  by  Isaiah,  107. 

Tomb  of  Rabbi  Hillel,  232. 

44  44  the  Virgin,  254. 

Tombs,  as  places  of  shelter,  100. 

44  in  the  valley  of  Jehosliaphat,  258. 
44  of  the  kings,  270. 

Tower  of  David,  284. 

44  of  Siloam,  261. 

Traditions  at  Meiron,  234. 

44  of  localities,  their  value,  249. 
Traitor’s  approach  to  Gethsemane  from 
the  city,  257. 

Transfiguration,  not  on  Tabor,  303. 

44  perhaps  near  Hermon, 

409. 

Traveling  in  the  east,  rate  of,  11, 

Treading  of  grapes,  156. 

44  44  44  an  emblem  of  slaugh¬ 

ter,  159. 

Treatment  of  the  infamous  dead,  102. 


Troughs  for  watering  cattle,  91. 

Turning  the  face  to  the  wall,  60. 

44  of  the  rivers  of  water,  151. 
Turkish  rule  unfriendly  to  industry,  144. 
Tyropoeon,  between  Zion  and  Moriah,  62, 
2S8. 

44  remains  of  the  bridge  there, 
289. 

u. 

Upper  room,  its  traditional  locality,  286. 
Urtas,  valley  of,  147. 

Y. 

Veneration  of  the  Jews  for  holy  spots, 

102. 

View  from  Hebron,’ 

44  from  an  eminence  near  Akka,  240. 

44  44  St.  Stephen’s  gate,  251. 

44  44  the  top  of  Olivet,  272. 

44  44  Neby  Ismail,  304. 

Vine,  less  cultivated  than  anciently,  156. 
Vineyards,  where  planted  anciently,  144. 
Vintage-shout,  159. 

Vipers  in  the  desert,  43. 

Voltaire’s  sarcasm,  141. 

w. 

Wady  Aly,  46. 

Walls  of  Jerusalem,  24S. 

Watch-towers,  163. 

Water  in  the  desert,  17,  29. 

44  how  collected  around  Jerusalem, 
269. 

44  its  scarcity  in  Arabia,  19. 

44  mode  of  drawing,  90. 

44  usually  drawn  by  females,  89. 
Watering  machine,  153. 

44  of  flocks,  91. 

44  with  the  foot,  151. 

44  as  illustrating  Deut.  11,  10, 

152. 

Water-shed  between  Mediterranean  and 
Jordan,  192. 


340 


INDEX 


Watts’  lines  on  the  betrayal,  139. 
Welees,  description  of,  55. 

“  ancient  names  retained,  57. 
Well,  in  a  court,  92. 

“  Jacob’s  identified,  199,  202. 

“  depth  measured,  203. 

West  side  of  Jerusalem,  268. 

Whited  sepulchres,  55. 

Wild  honey,  96. 

Wilderness,  meaning  of  the  term,  27. 
“  tensors  of,  41. 


Windows,  how  made,  76. 

Wine-press,  description  of,  157. 
Winnowing  shovel,  161. 

Women  as  mourners,  110. 

“  their  place  in  the  synagogue,  222. 
Wood,  its  scarcity,  131. 

Z. 

Zacharias’  tomb,  259. 

Zion  ploughed  as  a  field,  267. 

Ziph,  desert  of,  208. 


V\ 


*♦. 


TV  ■  ~  7- 


l  i 

-• 


' 


- 

. 


■  ' 


.. 

■ 


-  . 


